Tollywood: Vendors’ Association and Federation are in tiff

Disagreement is brewing within the Bengali film industry once again. Vendors’ Guild (Cine Video and Stage Suppliers Welfare Association) complained that several producers and the Federation are not cooperating with them. Several suppliers are blacklisted, according to sources. The organisation said that if the situation continues, they would call on a strike. 

Also read: Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan forces out Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2 in Bengal 

Vendors Guild supplies necessary equipment, including props and lights, for shootings. So, if they call on a strike then the industry will be shut down. Messages were sent to the members which reportedly read, “Federation and producers are non-cooperating with us in several ways. Some of our suppliers have been blacklisted by some Federation members.” Furthermore, it was also written, “If this goes on, we will call a strike.” The message also demands the Federation and producers apologise to the suppliers who were blacklisted by them. 

Saikat Das, the president of the Vendors Guild, told Anandabazar Online, “It is wrong to ban suppliers. Since the Federation said that they would not work with our members, we say that we will not work with them.” Did they tell the Federation about the problem? Saikat replied, “We tried to talk. But it was fruitless.” The organization members will host an urgent meeting on Sunday. Federation President Swarup Biswas told Anandabazar Online, “I do not know the complete picture. No one contacted me yet about it.”