JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Dastaan-E-Mohabbat Salim Anarkali’s Sonarika Bhadoria takes legal route for recovering dues of over Rs 70 lakh
Dastaan-E-Mohabbat Salim Anarkali actors voice out their woes for non-payment by the producer of the show for a long time.
The pandemic situation and the subsequent lockdown for more than one year has majorly affected the entertainment industry. The biggest problem faced by the TV actors is the delayed or non-payment of their dues. There are numerous actors who are suffering due to this, but very few of them speak up against it. One among them is the Dastaan-E-Mohabbat Salim Anarkali show actress Sonarika Bhadoria, who played the role of Anarkali. The actress shared that the makers owe her 80 lakhs but they have paid her only a small amount. Other actors of the show also stated their woes about not being paid.
The show Dastaan-E-Mohabbat Salim Anarkali was launched in October 2018, but it was wrapped up in mere three months. The actors are demanding their full remuneration as they had worked six months for the show. Sonarika Bhadoria said, “They owed me `80 lakhs, but I have only been paid `7 to `8 lakhs so far. I have taken the legal route and I hope to get what is due to me.”
There are numerous other actors with the same issue, they include Shahbaz Khan, Gurdip Punjj, Tassnim Sheikh, and Anand Goradia. Shahbaz, Tassnim, and Gurdip have over `10 lakhs rupees in pending. Anand’s pending dues are up to almost five-six lakhs. The actors shared that they keep calling the producer but they are given no answer. Hence the actors have now approached CINTAA (Cine and TV Artistes’ Association) for assistance.
Shahbaz, who played Akbar, said, “We had started shooting much before the show launched. It is our hard-earned money and we should get it. Every time we try reaching the producer, he does not respond. We are all going through tough times, some of us sitting at home without work during the pandemic. Personally, I feel that this exploitation has to stop.”
Tassnim added, “I feel cheated. I played my part with all diligence; I wore a 25-kilo lehenga with jewellery, and suffered so much weight on my body only to not receive my money! It’s sad that we have to keep contacting the production house and ask for our money.”
Gurdip Punj said, “I had kept quiet about this issue, but now I feel it is time to speak up. There’s just no response to my messages. They say the show exceeded its budget, but then the producer should have realized that. You can’t not pay your actors because of that!”
Anand Goradia talked about his difficult days and how the money could have assisted him. He said, “My mother passed away a few months ago. When she was hospitalised, I needed money for her treatment. I kept contacting the production house at that time hoping to get my dues, but I got no response. Hope they understand the gravity of the situation and release our dues now.”
The producer of the show Anirudh Pathak told TOI, “Salim Anarkali was abruptly pulled off air in three months. We incurred huge losses. After that the pandemic struck. I haven’t refused to pay, but because of the losses I incurred, I had to shut my own production house. Now, I am trying to earn as a writer and pay everyone. It will take time.”
ALSO READ: Sonarika Bhadoria QUITS Arjun Bijlani starrer Ishq Mein Marjawan; find out why
