Silver lining for silver artists and technicians
Mumbai High Court brings actors and technicians above 65 years of age relief regarding working on sets
Actors and technicians above 65-years-old, who were barred from attending shoots in studios or outdoors during the lockdown period on the basis of a Maharashtra Government directive, are now breathing a sigh of relief. The Hon’ble High Court of Mumbai recently quashed the State Government’s order on the matter.
The Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA), with an actor named Pramod Pandey, had challenged the validity of the said directives before the Hon’ble High Court of Mumbai. Accordingly, an order passed today said that the petition has been allowed by the Hon’ble High Court by holding that no such restriction could be imposed on the basis of a person’s age. It also clarified that only precautionary guidelines applicable to all other businesses can be applicable for the industry too, and no specific condition can be imposed with respect of a particular section. The copy of the order is still awaited on the matter, for which advocate Ashok M. Saraogi appeared for IMPPA.
We are all responsible people and during these COVID-19 times, we have to be extra responsible. So while safety is paramount, I think it should be left at each to his/her own, as it’s a very personal decision as well. And that is how I think it should be. If you feel you are fit, you should be allowed to work
— Neena Gupta, actress
WHAT’S AGE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Several actors in the age bracket shared their opinions on the verdict.
Sixty-one-year-old Badhaai Ho actress Neena Gupta is all for the court verdict. “I believe that if you are fit enough to go for work, you should, and if you are not fit, of course, you should not,” says Neena. “We are all responsible people and during these COVID-19 times, we have to be extra responsible. So while safety is paramount, I think it should be left at each to his/her own, as it’s a very personal decision as well. And that is how I think it should be. If you feel you are fit, you should be allowed to work.”
Another sixty-one-year-old actress, Zarina Wahab, who is known for having played some critically acclaimed roles in movies such as Chitchor and Gharaonda especially in the late ’70s and ’80s, also spoke up for the verdict quashing the Maharashtra Government’s directive.
“Of course, actors and technicians above 65 years of age should definitely be allowed to work. What exactly will a human being do after he has crossed 65 years of age? Where else will artists like us go at this juncture of our age? This is our bread and butter,” voiced Zarina.
Then, Zarina pointed out how barring actors and technicians from going to work cannot even be fair. “Nowadays, there are many who look as fit as a fiddle even at the age of seventy. Gone are those days when people would comment about anyone who reaches the age of thirty years, saying, ‘Arre! Buddhi ho gayi hai
(Oh! You’ve turned old).’ I am very happy that the Hon’ble Bombay
Court has quashed the resolution issued by Maharashtra Government that barred actors/technicians from getting back to work during these times.”
DIRECTIVES THAT COST LIVELIHOODS
Actor Kanwaljit Singh, who left an impression on viewers with his role as ‘Satbir’ in the famous 1986–87 TV show Buniyaad, and was seen in several movies such as Satte Pe Satta, Maachis, Phir Se, Rustom and Raazi, also has good reasons to be relieved at the decision by the High Court, even calling it a great decision.
“The Indian Parliament is full of members who are above seventy years of age, so why restrict those in the film industry from going to work?” he asks pointedly. “Our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is also close to seventy years of age, and everyone is jolly-well working. So why did the Maharashtra Government feel it necessary to bring our services to a halt?” Kanwaljit also went on to point out on how such decisions could cost the livelihood of many in the industry, as it did his too. “For one, it led to many artists being replaced,” he says. “I was replaced in a web series. And it happened two weeks ago because of the COVID-19 situation and the subsequent Maharashtra Government’s resolution. While some of us wanted to wait even if only for two days for confirmation, as no decision was coming forth from the Hon’ble High Court of Mumbai, the producer decided to go ahead and change the cast for the show.”
But the producer of the show hadn’t originally wanted to replace him even till the last minute, the actor tells us, as he had shot quite a bit by then. “We hadn’t known about this embargo from the Maharashtra Government, which had come up on the 31st March. We began pursuing the matter with CINTA. Another actor Pramod Pandey was also pursuing the matter. But all’s
Of course, actors and technicians above 65 years of age should definitely be allowed to work. What exactly will a human being do after he has crossed 65 years of age? Where else will artists like us go at this juncture of our age? This is our bread and butter — Zarina Wahab, actress
We hadn’t known about this embargo from the Maharashtra Government, which had come up on the 31st March. We began pursuing the matter with CINTA. Another actor Pramod Pandey was also pursuing the matter. But all’s well that ends well and now that the governmental directive has been quashed, we are indeed very happy
— Kanwaljit Singh, actor
well that ends well and now that the governmental directive has been quashed, we are indeed very happy,” Kanwaljit says, adding that now, he and others in the group will compensate Pramod towards his lawyer, travelling and other expenditures on the matter.