Now Reading: Kitu Gidwani calls Bollywood ‘fake industry’, criticises royalty system
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Kitu Gidwani calls Bollywood ‘fake industry’, criticises royalty system
Kitu Gidwani calls Bollywood ‘fake industry’, criticises royalty system
Veteran actor Kitu Gidwani, who has worked in films and TV for four decades, has called Bollywood a 'fake' cottage industry with vague rules. In an interview with Screen, she slammed the…
The Story in Brief
Veteran actor Kitu Gidwani, who has worked in films and TV for four decades, has called Bollywood a 'fake' cottage industry with vague rules. In an interview with Screen, she slammed the absence of royalties for actors, saying she should have been able to live off residuals after ten years instead of slogging for 40. She also criticised the lack of powerful roles for older women, who are reduced to playing mothers or maasis. Gidwani contrasted the situation with Hollywood, where unions like SAG-AFTRA secure residual payments for actors.
The Indian Opinion
Some will dismiss Gidwani as a disgruntled veteran, but she has laid out a factual grievance: Bollywood has no standardised residual payments or collective bargaining like Hollywood's unions. The 'cottage industry' label stings because it is partly true, major studios operate with opaque contracts. Meanwhile, ageism against women is undeniable; few leading roles exist for actresses over 40. A concrete test: will any streaming platform or producers' body now commit to a formal royalty structure for actors? That would separate talk from action.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
