In a no holds barred conversation, Bani - Ishq Da Kalma producer, Damini K Shetty, has opened up about the mafia that rules the television industry, her personal experience of being wronged as a writer and much more.
From an actor to a producer, you have donned many hats over the years. How would you sum up your journey so far in the industry?
So far it's been an interesting journey but the journey has just begun, there is so much more to do and achieve that I still feel like I've just started. I am still looking forward to a much more exciting journey in this line. I started as an actor in theatre when I was 15, had my first stint as an assistant director at the age of 17-18, and at 21 I made my first show as a director-producer. I have not given up one for the other, I have been doing it all simultaneously. It's been a bit of a challenge as well because as an actor when I stepped into producing, people forgot I was an actor, and when I started directing they forgot I was a producer. I have challenged myself and put myself into challenges that keep me fresh and alive.
What's your take on the whole insider - outsider debate?
I think the term insider-outsider is a little strange, completely ridiculous, and sad. People who use these terms are the ones who think the industry belongs to them and when we keep saying it we are encouraging their belief that there is a difference. The film world is a professional industry, it's not a family! This is an open industry, anybody who walks in with skills becomes a part of it and is an insider. Nobody has the right to decide for the entire industry who is an outsider and who's an insider. I believe everyone working here, who is providing something or the other to the industry, is an insider, including me. The press, as a responsible media, should stop using these terms completely.
You recently spoke about the mafia that exists in the industry. Any personal experience?
I may not have had direct experience with it, even if I have, I've been too busy moving between projects to get affected by it. The friend whom I spoke for, Natasha Singh, I know her and I completely trust her when she says she's been affected by a particular mafia in the television industry. I have seen the production house hurl abuses & slippers, break phones, keep you waiting for hours for a meeting and leave a meeting midway to attend a party. It's difficult for me to stand up and speak about it openly because it hasn't happened to me directly. People who have experienced this sort of exploitation should speak up, and those that aren't are probably still not in the position to do so. I call these exploiters 'mini mafia's' and they are present in every department. There is usually an actor mafia, especially in television, wherein actors get stuck in continuity and they know that the producer / show is at their popularity so they exploit that to the fullest at the expense of the show.
Would you say you have been treated unfairly at any instance?
Yes, I have been treated unfairly at several points in time, the unfairest I have been treated is as a writer. Very often you are called to write a project, you work on the concept, and everybody shares their point of view, it's reworked and rechanged until it satisfies the authorities and when the show doesn't work, the first person to be axed, without any notice or explanation, is the writer. When the show does well, the writer is barely given any credit. It has recently happened to me with a leading channel, I worked with the production house to develop a concept for almost a year, I was asked to start writing the episodic stories and screenplay but at the last minute, the top boss disses the entire project and was rude and insulting about it. Everybody had collectively helped me and 10 episodes were approved but I was the only one who was thrown out of the project and not given any penny.
I didn't put up a fight because I rather spend my time working on better projects than on something that would only turn ugly. It's been unfair for a lot of work that I have done. I stopped getting work from a channel who once blamed me because I couldn't save one of their shows although I have saved a couple of their other shows. Even as a producer I have faced it. A few years ago we gave a hit show for a channel, who had made our lives miserable, and never called us back or gave us the time of day.
This has happened to a lot of my colleagues and producers who have either left the industry or are struggling with every show. If this is not favoritism or unfairness I don't know what it is.
Does favouritism work in the TV industry too?
Favoritism is there in the television industry. Despite there being so many talented people, you see only a handful of production houses doing the bulk of the shows. Despite shows not doing well you see channels giving them shows. There is some sort of favoritism that is at play which is more than what meets the eye. There is a lot that is happening that should not be happening. Channels are corporates who are answerable so I believe there is favoritism where some people are ruling the television industry and unfortunately here it's not all about talent.
What should be the way forward for a newcomer or someone who's not being given the opportunity they deserve?
I would advise them to be prepared to work hard, be thick-skinned, keep striving, be tough, and take rejection well. Have some sort of support from family and friends. If possible have financial backing so that your basic needs are taken care of and you don't have to depend upon anybody else. It also gives you the confidence to move out and accept rejection as it's not your livelihood. I would also want to advise those who give opportunities to these talented people. To them I would say, keep an open mind, you are not being fair to the profession you claim to love if you are not giving the job to the best person qualified for the job. If they take the advice then the people coming in won't need much advice from me.
