Kolkata Television Production Resumes Following Agreement with Artists' Forum
The shooting of the popular television serial 'Kone Dekha Alo' is set to resume on Friday after the production house and channel agreed to the demands put forth by the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum. The key condition involved providing all necessary documentary evidence confirming that Leena Gangopadhyay has been officially removed from the board of directors of Organinc Studios Pvt Ltd.
Forum's Statement and Conditions
On Thursday, the Forum's general secretary, Shantilal Mukherjee, posted a statement on social media following a meeting with the channel. "They have agreed to continue the production by accepting our terms and have consented to send appropriate documents with all evidence supporting the forum's conditions within seven days. In this context, there are no obstacles or difficulties for the artists from our organisation to work on the production of 'Kone Dekha Alo'," the statement read.
However, the statement omitted some critical conditions. One primary demand was the removal of Gangopadhyay's name from the company's board of directors. An email from the Forum indicated that this condition stemmed from members' insecurity about working with any production house or company where directors from Magic Moments hold positions of authority.
Additional Demands and Timeline
On April 15, Mukherjee emailed the channel, stating that work would resume only if the artists and technicians previously engaged were retained. The email warned that any failure, delay, or deviation could lead to a reconsideration of participation in the production and related projects.
Controversy and Unanswered Questions
A stakeholder raised several pointed questions regarding the Forum's actions. "Why has the Forum not asked his co-actor Shweta Mishra any questions yet? Why have the production manager and director not been show-caused by their Federation guilds? If lack of empathy towards Rahul is a concern, why has the Forum not spoken against Rahul's co-actors who showed no empathy and returned to Kolkata after hearing the news? It is demanding proof of the challan related to Leena-di's removal from the board while avoiding these issues. There is a larger agenda against her."
Cast and Crew Perspectives
TOI contacted some cast and crew members about the demand. Actor Moinak Dhole said, "I sent an email to the Forum saying I never felt unsafe working in Organinc." Actor Somraj Maity stated he has never supported Gangopadhyay's ban. The serial's director, Joydip Karmakar, refused to comment on the Forum's conditions, emphasizing, "We have 60 members in this unit. Our priority is to ensure that work begins."
The resolution marks a significant development in the ongoing dispute, allowing production to move forward while addressing the Forum's concerns over corporate governance and artist security.
