Cine Workers Left Jobless, Are Treated As Orphans: Shabana Azmi

Shabana Azmi on Cine Workers: Actor Shabana Azmi on Friday shared her views on how the government is failing to aid the entertainment industry during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The actor feels the second wave of the pandemic is significantly impacting the music and entertainment industry and that they are being "treated as an orphan".

Azmi, who shot a web series for Steven Spielberg in Budapest and a feature film for Shekhar Kapoor in London during the last year, has also contributed to the Cine and TV Artists' Association (CINTAA) members.  She told ETimes, "As a sector, we contribute millions to the exchequer." Time and again there has been a national calamity, the film industry has come forward and has helped the government in fundraising, she claimed. The actor also mentioned how individuals from the industry contribute to the cause and make personal donations too. "But it has largely been a one-way relationship," she continued adding "we do not fall under the purview of any of the ministries, be it HRD/Ministry of labour/ culture or as a matter of fact even the Information and Broadcasting."

Azmi is reportedly staying at her farmhouse on the outskirts of Mumbai with her husband, lyricist Javed Akhtar, and some close members of her family. She feels this particular national calamity and overall health crisis in the country have hampered their work and income. She said, "Unlike, in the west, we are not a recipient of any social security schemes. Last year the UK government’s The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport announced 17 million pound fund to help the cultural, arts and heritage institutions survive the pandemic last summer."

Wherein, in India, the government is only monitoring the work but the members of the film fraternity are helping each other without any support and despite several letters to grant cine workers the status of a daily wage worker and financial assistance like in any other sector no attention is being paid to this problem. Azmi said, "I think it’s largely due to the perception that the film industry is flushed with money and doesn’t need help. We are the cultural ambassadors of India - we bring repute to our country by the awards we win at international film festivals. Bollywood is a household name all over the world."

Shabana Azmi on COVID-19 crisis: She also described how the pandemic has particularly hit the daily wage earners and technicians who are now penniless.

She explained. "Many of us have contributed to our respective Associations but a calamity of this scale needs help from the Government," she urged.

Earlier, in an interview, she said she is monitoring the work at Mijwan (her ancestral home town in Uttar Pradesh) for COVID-19 relief, including providing oxygen concentrators daily.

Feature Image Credit: Women Pla.net