courtesy: india today
Filmmaker Varun Grover has pointed out a troubling trend, wherein the writers often get sidelined and their contributions are erased from the promotional materials. He points out that this exploitation is not just a rookie issue, as it also affects the seasoned veteran writers such as Gulzar and Javed Akhtar.
In an interview with Jist, Varun shed light on the industry’s exploitative practices, recalling how a writer friend was taken advantage of by a so-called messiah director. He chose not to mention any names, but emphasized the widespread nature of this issue in Bollywood.
Varun recounted a situation involving a prominent filmmaker known for his non-commercial, middle-of -the- road cinema and long standing influence in the industry.
He revealed that this friend of his, who is a well known comedian was initially paid Rs. 50,000, which was later raised to Rs. 3 lakh post the negotiations. He noted that the amount is still much lower than the Screenwriters’ Association’s lega; minimums, which mandate at least Rs. 12 lakh for dialogues alone and Rs. 20 lakh for dialogue and screenplay.