A crew member died on its sets Sanjay Leela BhansaliIts upcoming film ‘Love and War’ once again looks at the working conditions in the entertainment industry. Chandradhari Singh Yadav, a carpenter employed in the film, reportedly died of electrocution while working.Following the incident, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president BN Tiwari confirmed that Bhansali had given a financial assistance of Rs 40 lakh to the family of the deceased worker. However, the federation requested the production house to increase the compensation to Rs 50 lakh, considering Yadav as the sole breadwinner of the family.Speaking to IANS, Tiwari said, “On the sets of ‘Love and War’ directed Sanjay Leela Bhansali, one of our technicians died due to electrocution. After his death, SLB helped his family by donating Rs 40 lakh. It is a good amount, but we requested him, as the worker is 42 years old, he was the sole earner. So, we requested the production to give him 50 lakhs. There is no response from him yet. Our objection is not only about this, but about health and safety. Health and safety, working 16-20 hours instead of a maximum of 12 hours duty.”So far, neither Sanjay Leela Bhansali nor his production banner has publicly responded to FWICE’s request.Tiwari emphasized that the problem extends beyond the set of a single film. According to him, lax safety standards and overtime have become common across film, television and web series productions, necessitating urgent intervention.He also mentioned, “It’s not just about Sanjay Leela Bhansali. On most sets, where serials are being made, where serials are being made, where other work is going on, there are problems everywhere. So, this condition is completely unacceptable. And the federation is going to take strict measures in this regard. Whatever set it is, our team will go through health and safety, and find out how many hours they are working. Our intention is not to stop shooting. Our main issue is to stop the slave labor of our workers, our technicians and artists. We are technicians. We entertain for the film industry.”He further said that the federation’s priority is to protect workers through dialogue rather than legal action. According to Tiwari, FWICE has never lodged an FIR against any producer and instead believes in resolving disputes through negotiation with the parties concerned.He added, “The federation has never filed an FIR against anyone. Our strength, the strength of our organization is such that people listen to us and respect us. Our organization is established to protect our employees. It is set up to fight for their rights and security. We are not ready to lodge an FIR against anyone.”The incident has given rise to conflicting narratives. Recently, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) questioned the initial version of the incident and called for an independent inquiry to establish the exact cause of the worker’s death.Responding to AICWA’s concerns, Tiwari maintained that the federation had full knowledge of the incident and reiterated that the electrocution was due to exposed electrical wires on the set.He said, “No, we have complete information that the wire was exposed due to current and the cause of death is unknown. He died on the spot. He was a member of elite labor union. Our people worked with him. He did not work alone in the department he worked in. He had many workers with him”.He further added, “Some technicians were with him. The sound recorder was with him. The cameraman was with him. If we say it was due to current and the autopsy report also says that he died due to current, it is not true”.
