Character artists Jatin Negi and Sunita Rajwar exposed the bitter truth of the film industry. Alleged discrimination in food, respect, vanity van and payment on the set.
There is a world hidden behind the glitter and glamor of Bollywood, where not every artist gets equal status. Character artists Jatin Negi and Sunita Rajwar, who have been working in the film and TV industry for years, have made many shocking revelations about discrimination, lack of respect and delay in payment on the sets. He claims that in the industry, even food is served to the artists by dividing them into A, B and C categories. Not only this, small artists sometimes get paid after 90 days, while big stars are given crores of rupees on time. These revelations have sparked a new debate on the truth behind the glamor of Bollywood.
The status of the character is seen on the set, not the actor.
In an on-screen conversation, Jatin Negi, who was seen in films like ‘Bell Bottom’, said, “Character artists generally do not get respect unless they become big names like Paresh Rawal or Anupam Kher. Big actors get four vanity vans each, whereas character artists sometimes have to make do with a spot boy and a shared vanity van. Your role decides how much respect you will get.”
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Sunita Rajwar said- The atmosphere of the film industry is like the society.
Sunita Rajwar, who has been active in the industry for 25 years and has appeared in series like ‘Gullak’, also shared a similar experience. He said, “There is a huge difference between a lead artist and a character artist. The whole system revolves around the actors playing the lead role. But if you are playing a small character, sometimes even the spot boy is not given respect.” According to Sunita, even the names of small actors are not remembered and many times they are identified only by names like ‘Man 1’ or ‘Woman 2’ in the script.
A, B and C category food, ‘cast system’ like environment
The biggest revelation was about food on the sets. Jatin Negi claimed, “A, B and C categories are created on the sets. The A category has senior and leading actors, while there is a separate section for juniors and extras. It is heartbreaking to see this. The atmosphere feels exactly like a cast system.” Recalling an incident, he said that once he was stopped from entering the food section and was later sent to a different line. He says, “I felt like I was an outsider. There is a clear difference in the quality of A and B category food and C category food in many places.”
Junior artists have to eat standing up
According to Jatin, in many production houses, junior artists are given food away from the sets. He said, “Many times there is not even a tent for them. There are no chairs and no seating arrangement. They have to eat standing.” However, he also clarified that the situation is not like this everywhere. Jatin also praised many big stars. He told, “Once my friend asked for green tea and the spot boy refused. Then a superstar present there said, ‘If an artiste is asking for green tea then why can’t it be given to him?’ After this green tea was delivered immediately. Big stars often stand up for others.”
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Crores of stars get paid, but small artistes’ payments get stuck
Regarding payment, Jatin Negi said, “Crores of rupees are given to lead stars, but even Rs 5 lakh of character artists are not received on time. If the film flops, then the payment of small artists gets stuck first.” According to Jatin Negi, the payment of artists is as follows:-
- Tertiary Characters: About ₹5,000 per day. (Total ₹8,000–10,000 for two days’ work, which is paid after about 2 months.)
- Secondary Characters: Approximately ₹10,000 per day. (Total ₹50,000 for five days’ work, often paid after 2 months.)
- Primary Characters: Around ₹15,000–25,000 per day.
- Big Actor: Approximately ₹50,000 per day.
- On becoming a hit character: Up to approximately ₹1,00,000 per day.
- Lead Actor: Up to crores of rupees.
Whereas, according to Sunita Rajwar, the payment depends on the market value of the artist. According to him, lead actresses also often get paid less than heroes. Some actors earn as much or more by working for 5 days than other actors are able to earn by working for 15 days. Character artists are the first to face payment cuts in case of losses. The payment deadline was earlier 45 days, then 60 days, and is now 90 days (after telecast).
No glamour, real life full of struggle
Sunita Rajwar told that even today she travels by auto and metro. According to Jatin, he lives with his family in a 300 square feet house and it is not easy to survive in Mumbai. Jatin Negi believes that character artists in the TV industry get more respect and stability as compared to films. Many times your respect in films is determined by your fees.