"I have worked in the Bollywood industry as a junior artist for the last 32 years. I have worked with actors across generations - right from Dilip Kumar to Sunny Deol. But, I'm not ready to retire," says sixty-year-old Vicky. Four months ago, Vicky lost his job and his only source of livelihood.

"I've played the role of an inspector, don, watchman over the years in so many films and TV serials," he continues as he strokes his well-maintained 'Dabangg' moustache. "But now there is no work in the industry. I've been forced to take up a job as a watchman at a hotel nearby,"

Vicky is only one among the tens of thousands of junior artists, technicians, spot boys, makeup artists and hairdressers who have lost their jobs amid the COVID-19 crisis. India's Rs 18,500 crore Hindi film industry is crawling and the jobs of more than five lakh people are at stake.

"We used to wait outside sets earlier hoping to get selected as 'crowd' in a movie but now with social distancing norms - neither can we wait outside a set nor will the filmmakers want to show 'crowds' in a movie," said Sooraj, a junior artist, who is now doing odd jobs to survive in the city.

In 2019, India's Hindi film industry, which has been seeing a 12-14 percent growth compared annually, clocked net box office revenues of over Rs 4,000 crore.

"This year has been a zero box office year. Going by estimates, the industry would have lost about 1500-1600 crore since the lockdown was imposed," said Atul Mohan, trade analyst, and Editor - Complete Cinema.

The loss of business has been felt by all the stakeholders in the industry. The biggest hit has been felt by the subsidiary industries that are heavily reliant on revenues from the film industry. It has also rendered more than two lakh people jobless.

"We are facing tough times. Our members have no work as shootings have come to a complete halt. We had received some donation from producers earlier which we have passed on to members who were in need," said B N Tiwari, President, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), which is an industry workers union.

Owing to the lockdown, releases of almost 55 films have been postponed and some have opted for a direct to digital releases. "A large number of films had to be forcefully released on digital because of prior commitments and repayments. However, revenue from digital is limited," said a filmmaker.

There is some optimism that things will bounce back and that big-budget films will continue to be made. However, the challenge seems steep.

"It's going to have a long-lasting impact and a domino effect on the subsidiary industries that are linked to the film industry. The theatrical business needs a shot in the arm. The government needs to step up and help us protect the theatrical business. There is a need to get some discounts, some tax holidays, and some benefits for the theatrical business to thrive and survive," said producer & director Kunal Kohli.

The Rs 70,000 crore television industry is also facing similar issues. The industry is seeing the number of sponsorships coming down, costs escalating and budgets declining. While the Hindi film industry shoots are still halted, some television production houses have already started shooting for non-fiction shows.

"We have only 150-160 crew members on the set at a given point. This is one-third of the total number of people we used to have earlier. It is challenging to work with a limited crew and everyone is doubling up. We don't want to compromise on the viewing experience for audiences," said Ranjeet Thakur, Founder, Frames Production.

First Published:Jul 30, 2020 8:10 PM IST