Sanjay Leela Bhansali: After death of worker on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Love And War’ set, FWICE demands better working conditions, Rs 50 lakh compensation: ‘Instead of 12 hours, 16-18 hours of work is done’ | Hindi Movie News

The death of a crew member on the set of Sanjay Leela BhansaliThe upcoming ‘Love & War’ film has once again drawn attention to working conditions in the entertainment industry. Chandradhari Singh Yadav, a carpenter who worked on the film, died after being electrocuted while working.Following the incident, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president BN Tiwari confirmed that Bhansali had extended a financial assistance of Rs 40 lakh to the family of the deceased worker. However, the federation has urged the production house to increase the compensation to Rs 50 lakh, considering that Yadav was the sole breadwinner of the family.Speaking to IANS, Tiwari said, “On the set of ‘Love & War’ directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, one of our technicians was electrocuted. After his death, SLB helped his family by donating INR 40 lacs. It’s a good amount, but we asked him, because the worker was 42 years old, he was the only person getting paid. So we asked the production to give him INR 50 lacs. There has been no response from him yet. Our objection is to that only, not to health and safety. Safety and health, instead of 12 hours of maximum service, 16-20 hours of work are being done”.So far, neither Sanjay Leela Bhansali nor his production banner has publicly responded to FWICE’s request.Tiwari stressed that the issue goes far beyond a single film set. According to him, poor safety standards and excessive working hours have become commonplace in film, television and web series productions, necessitating urgent intervention.He further mentioned, “It is not just about Sanjay Leela Bhansali. On the maximum sets, where serials are made, where serials are made, where other works are made, there is a problem everywhere. So this is totally unacceptable for the condition. And the federation will take strict measures in this regard. Whoever owns the set, our team will go for health and safety, and they will go to know how many hours they have been working. Our goal is to keep shooting. Our main problem is that our workers, our technicians and artists, who are made to work like slaves, must stop. We are technicians. We make entertainment for the film industry.”He added 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 discussions with stakeholders.He continued, “The federation has never lodged an FIR against anyone. Our power, the strength of our organization, is such that people listen to us and respect us. Our organization is created to protect our workers. It is created to fight for their rights and safety. We are not ready to lodge an FIR against anyone.”The incident has also generated conflicting narratives. Recently, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) questioned the initial version of events and called for an independent investigation to establish the exact cause of the worker’s death.Responding to AICWA’s concerns, Tiwari maintained that the federation has full knowledge of the incident and reiterated that the electrocution occurred due to exposed electrical wiring on the set.He said: “No, we have full information that the wires were open due to current and the cause of death is unknown. He died on the spot. He was a member of the elite union. Our people used to work with him. He did not work alone in the department where he worked. Many workers were with him.”In addition, he added: “Some technicians were with him. Sound recorders were with him. Cameramen were with him. If we say that he was caused by the current and the autopsy also says that he died because of the current, it is not true.”