Eskay Movies Fire case: Swarup Biswas, Rana Sarkar allege foul play

In a huge fire at Kudghat on Thursday, the godown of Eskay Movies got completely charred. Shooting equipment, lights, and a number of cameras got charred. While the fire department and police are yet to ascertain the reason behind the fire, a group of people close to the industry alleged foul play in the incident. The owners of Eskay Movies, Ashok Dhanuka and Himangshu Dhanuka have issued a press statement on behalf of Eskay Movies. 

Swarup Biswas, the president of the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India, said that the land where the godown is situated is itself embroiled in disputes and controversies. He said that there was no setup to handle fire in the studio, and hence it spread to the nearby slums. The lack of fire safety measures aroused many questions. 

Also read: Eskay Movies fire incident: The only glimmer of hope is that no one is injured 

Meanwhile, producer Rana Sarkar added to the controversy by saying that this is a ‘got-up’ case. “There are many legal cases against Ashok and Himangshu Dhanuka. They forged my signature. They are involved with criminal activities and have huge loans in the market. To get away from such a situation they did it intentionally,” he alleged on his social media. 

Eskay Movies is one of the main suppliers of shooting equipment for various projects in the industry. They rent out the machines to many production houses. Naturally, people are anxious now about the future of several projects. But Ashok and Himangshu Dhanuka promised to keep on serving the industry even after the fire. An employee of the company allegedly claimed to the media, “The good cameras were kept in another godown. This godown had mainly the old ones. A forensic team is investigating and the report will come soon.”

Eskay Movies will soon be having a trip abroad for shooting a number of films. According to the company, those schedules will not get affected, and shooting will take place as per schedule.