Smita: I want my dues!-MIDDAY

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rosewood104

@rosewood104

Dazzler

Posted: 18 years ago

Smita: I want my dues!
By: Vickey Lalwani
February 6, 2007

Smita Singh

Smita Singh (Chameli of Woh Rehne Wali Mehlon Ki) has been a TV actor for six years and she's never faced problems on the payment front.

However, the Sony show Kulvaddhu will go down in memory as her first unpleasant experience, as she has not been paid her dues for two days worth of work. Kulvaddhu is produced by actor Anuj Saxena's Maverick Productions.

Strike three

Smita says her start at Maverick was unbelievably good. "They made me feel very important when they came to me with the offer. They went over the top saying how much they wanted only me to do Bindiya's role. Mr Saxena, whom I have worked with in Kkusum, personally told me at the launch party that it was great we were working together again."

The ordeal began when she reported on the set in November 2006. She was called for two days and then dropped from the show on the third.

"On the first day (November 7), I shot just one scene with them. On the second day (November 10), I was on the set for the entire day and they did not shoot even one scene with me.

On the third day, they wanted me to come to the set at 8 am, so naturally I asked what time my scene would be shot. I was told it would happen at noon, so why was I being asked to come and sit there from 8 am? After that, they did not get back to me. I kept calling, but nobody answered. After five days, I learnt that someone else was going to do my role."

'It's my right'

Smita says Maverick owes her Rs 9,000 for the two days she went to work. The actress says she has a contract which states she will be paid Rs 4,500 per day. "I was told that my cheque would be ready by December 21. Since then, I've been calling constantly and paying personal visits to the production house's office with no response.

It's been over a month now and I am very tired. I don't know what kind of people have been appointed at Maverick; there is hardly any one sitting there."

But Smita is uncomfortable calling Anuj directly. "I don't think that would be right. Nobody calls up the producer for dues. The accounts department handles these matters."

Smita says she isn't irked as much about being dropped, as she is about
the fact that they're refusing her payment for the work she has done. "I am not being given money for two days which they consumed. TV actors are paid on a daily basis, and every professional has to be particular in this regard. I am just demanding my right," Smita says.

Producer Anuj Saxena preferred not to comment, failing to revert to our queries.

'The cheque is ready!'

Anuj Saxena

On getting our message, Anuj Saxena promptly called Rekha Vaid (Vice President, Maverick) and asked her if she had stopped Singh's payment. Rekha called us pronto. Here's the conversation that followed:

Why has Smita Singh not been paid?

One of the supervising producers resigned a few days ago and her signature was required to clear Smita's payment. The new supervising producer brought Smita's dues to my notice and we have done the needful now. Her cheque is ready. Smita needs to come personally to collect her cheque, as we need to have a talk with her. She has not done the right thing.

What did she do?

Smita signed a contract with us stating that she would give us 15 days. Then she told us she is also doing Rajshri Productions' Woh Rehne Wali Mehlon Ki and her role has increased there, so she wanted us to make date adjustments.

After that, she was not willing to come for the shoot. She even said we should to talk to Rajshri Productions to get those adjustments done. We told her that this was not done, but she continued pleading that we should adjust. It is very important to teach such people a lesson, so we decided to replace her. Shweta Gautam is doing her role now.

Smita says she shot only one scene on day one and was cooling her heels on day two.

Such things happen when a show is in the initial stages, but Maverick suffered a loss of Rs 5 lakh to re-shoot Smita's scenes with Shweta.

cheers

resh

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dpatel2

@dpatel2

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

thanks! wow, 5 lakhs? that's crazy

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Shazia

@shockalot

Sparkler

+ 7

Posted: 18 years ago

WOWWW WAIT she's Chameli from WRWMK??? OMG loll i had no idea!! WOW lol i love her as Bindiya but hate Chameli, wow they don't even look alike! LOL that's cool!
Thanks for the article!

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Smita: I want my dues!-MIDDAY

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