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In the last few years, there have been plenty of cases where actors have had to quit their daily soaps because their channels weren't allowing them to participate on a rival channel's reality show. The GEC (general entertainment channel) that airs an actor's show stakes claim on them, but after a certain point, actors want to move on and experiment. So, are exclusivity contracts a hindrance to an actor's growth? We speak to producers and actors to decode what signing an exclusivity contract means in the industry.
The exclusivity clause came after the Giaa Manek incident
The exclusivity clause came after the Giaa Manek incident
Giaa Manek, who played the docile Gopi bahu in 'Saath Nibhaana Saathiya', was shown the door after she opted to do 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' because the channel felt that her bahu image would be affected if she was seen on a dance show. In order to ensure that such incidents don't happen again, many producers started including the 'exclusivity' clause in their contract, which necessitates that till the time the show is on air, the actor will stay committed to the show and not take up any other assignments. An actor, who did not wish to be named, tells us, "The character of Gopi bahu had given Giaa an identity. But on Jhalak, she was seen wearing western outfits and dancing to Bollywood numbers. The producers didn't want a situation to arise where people would stop relating to her character, that's why they replaced her. After the incident, several producers started including the exclusivity clause in their contracts. If you look at the participants on reality shows, you can see that most reality shows have those actors who're currently not busy with another show. But the exclusivity clause doesn't prohibit channels from using their own actors to participate in their non-fiction shows."
Even producers, writers have to sign exclusivity contracts
Industry insiders say that nowadays, even writers, directors and producers have to sign exclusivity contracts. A senior official from a leading GEC says, "For actors, there are several dos and don'ts that come with the contract. Such as if an actor is hosting a show that talks about having faith in God, he cannot go and sign a mythological show on a rival channel, because that would mean that the other channel is trying to take advantage of his already established status. Also, he cannot do a show that negates superstition on any other channel, because that would be going against his image. Nowadays, channels even get new producers and writers, who are coming on board with them, to sign exclusivity contracts."
Industry insiders say that nowadays, even writers, directors and producers have to sign exclusivity contracts. A senior official from a leading GEC says, "For actors, there are several dos and don'ts that come with the contract. Such as if an actor is hosting a show that talks about having faith in God, he cannot go and sign a mythological show on a rival channel, because that would mean that the other channel is trying to take advantage of his already established status. Also, he cannot do a show that negates superstition on any other channel, because that would be going against his image. Nowadays, channels even get new producers and writers, who are coming on board with them, to sign exclusivity contracts."
Saloni Bhatia | TNN | Apr 27, 2016
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