Virus rules leave Bollywood's low-paid army stricken
Published: 10:07 PM,Jul 31,2020 | EDITED : 09:04 PM,Apr 28,2024
India's coronavirus lockdown made little difference to Bollywood superstars but for the industry's vast army of low-paid, unskilled workers it meant unemployment, hunger, and homelessness -- with no end in sight even as shoots gradually resume.
Fahim Shaikh used to earn 800 rupees ($11) a day as a 'spot boy' on sets, doing odd jobs such as making tea. When Bollywood hit pause on productions in March, the 23-year-old could no longer pay rent.
'I just wandered up and down, asking strangers for help and sleeping outside cafes,' he told AFP.
The hugely successful Hindi film industry is tentatively coming back to life but with strict rules including curbs on the number of people allowed on set.
This means that jobs for people like Shaikh are now few and far between.
'I am ready to do anything, I desperately need work,' he said.
Like many starry-eyed newcomers, he came to Mumbai in pursuit of an acting career before his dreams gave way to the pressures of the daily grind in India's most expensive city.
- 'The littlest players' -
- No safety net -