What Strange Rule is Affecting Bengali Artistes Union? Insights from 'Murderbaad' Director Arnab Chatterjee

Mumbai, July 16 (NationPress) Writer-director-producer Arnab Chatterjee, currently anticipating the premiere of his forthcoming film ‘Murderbaad’, has recounted a challenging experience from the film’s shooting. He detailed the logistical and financial hurdles that arose during the initial filming schedule in West Bengal.

Chatterjee, a member of the Bengali community, explained that the first shoot in Bagdogra, Siliguri, posed significant challenges due to local federation regulations, unnecessary crew requirements, and last-minute pressures that affected the entire team, including seasoned professionals like cinematographer Binod Pradhan.

He remarked, “During the very first schedule of the film, we had nearly 180 crew members traveling from Mumbai to Bagdogra. The local federation in Kolkata enforces a self-imposed rule regarding the number of technicians that a producer must employ during filming in Bengal. This rule puts producers in a difficult position, especially those with limited budgets, be it Bengali or Hindi films.”

According to the director, the entire Bangla film industry is grappling with this issue, particularly as the business has been affected following the Covid pandemic.

He elaborated, “You find yourself with your pre-signed crew from Mumbai, an additional crew from Kolkata whose roles are redundant, plus the burden of covering travel, food, and accommodation costs for everyone involved. Furthermore, there are various local line-production loopholes that are exploited to take advantage of producers. I recognized this pattern on the second day of filming and decided to reduce the schedule from 7 days to 4, which displeased the locals.”

Although it was a daring choice, it pushed the crew to their limits, resulting in a grueling 25-hour shift without breaks to complete the remaining scenes and return to Mumbai with the team as quickly as possible. Adding to the pressure, his entire unit faced confinement in multiple hotels due to an immediate demand for payment settlements, leaving no time to reconcile expenses.

He shared, “Over 100 tickets were wasted, and several crew members were distressed, including my senior DOP, Binod Pradhan. Serving as both director on set and producer off set, managing these production challenges while maintaining shooting quality was incredibly demanding. I’m relieved we managed to navigate this schedule, and despite costs soaring to nearly double what was initially planned, we resumed filming shortly after returning from Bagdogra.”

“When producing an independent film, if the initial schedule disrupts your finances, you mentally prepare yourself differently for the remaining shoots. All these experiences contribute to the learning curve, and looking back, I wish well to those who inadvertently taught me these lessons the hard way,” he concluded.

Despite the setbacks, ‘Murderbaad’ was able to continue filming soon after the shortened schedule in Bagdogra.

The film features actors Sharib Hashmi, Nakul Sachdev, Kanikka, Manish Chaudhari, Saloni Batra, Amole Gupte, and Aanjjan Srivastav. It is produced by Reliance Entertainment under Chatterjee’s ACjee Entertainment banner, with cinematography by Binod Pradhan and music by Rickie.

The film is slated for a theatrical release on July 18, 2025.