Present situation for TV.......

This article has nothing to do particularily with TD but it is generally about the present situation for TV actors.

Source Sunday Deccan Chronicle TV guide

Once upon a time acting on television had its own leisurely pace. With one episode of a weekly, shot on an average of two to three shifts, actors got enough time and creative space to work on characters and come up with their own creative inputs over and above the director's demand.

Then came the dailies and the pace became hectic: one episode a day or less than a day. Most dailies, made like assembly-line products, have not only severely affected an actor's creativity but also made them think and work like workers, shooting eight to 10 scenes a day and paid on a daily or monthly basis.

The question is have actors become well-paid glamourous workers? Do they work with passion and involvement or are they only interested in walking on the sets, playing their part and walking out with the day's earnings? "Everyone involved in the making of daily soaps has become a worker," thunders producer-director Ajai Sinha of Astitva fame.

"Where is the creativity and where is the time for creativity when you go through a nightmare everyday? Creativity requires the right frame of mind, space and time. When an actor is required to shoot eight-nine scenes a day, he will obviously work with a worker's psyche." Shweta Keswani who began her career with weeklies says she had become a machine while doing Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki for two years.

"Late nights, early morning shoots and no rest. It was pathetic. One may try to give his/her best but work does suffer, especially towards the fag end of the shift when you are required to shoot fast because the episode has to reach the channel," she elaborates. Ali Asghar, Kamal of Kahani feels it all depends on an individual's approach to work.

"If you are doing a daily, then stress is part of the job, particularly when you don't get breaks for two-three months. But that doesn't happen often. I utilise short breaks of four-five days to enjoy and refresh myself," he explains adding that today acting is not just about creativity but how one presents and sells oneself.
Television veteran Alok Nath who has done nearly 50 serials over 20 years admits that with dailies work pressure and working hours have increased considerably.

"The pace is very hectic," he says, "but financially rewarding as well." The veteran actor who has done dailies like Astitva and Piya Ka Ghar says being a professional he works with involvement but admits that creativity does get affected. "If one is shooting more than 10 scenes in a day you are bound to be low on creativity and quality. But the advantage with dailies is that the treatment, look and gloss hide creative deficiencies of actors."

He further says even if there is less creative satisfaction actors have no choice. "They have to be busy to earn a living. The only way out is to do your best within the limitations," he adds. Kiran Karmarkar, Om Aggarwal of Kahani who quit the daily after five years has similar views. "How many actors are really giving their best?" he asks. "Today once a serial is a hit then the character becomes a hit. After that the editor, cameraman, music director and costume designer put in their best to hide actors' shortcomings."
According to Karmarkar, there are three categories of actors.

One, seasoned actors who are confident of their talent and potential and therefore don't feel insecure. The second category consists of actors who are not concerned about the quality of role as long as the money is good. "They crib in their make-up rooms but continue with their job for fear of not finding work elsewhere," says Karmakar. Glamour-struck young boys and girls comprise the third category that have less time to understand the character but ample time to work on their hairstyle, looks and clothes.

"They don't discuss work. They are more focussed about the way they look," chuckles Karmarkar who quit Kahani beca-use of monotony. "Ekta was willing to sign another agreement, hike my payment, and make changes in the agreement clauses but I said no. I told her that after five years I want to move on and take up a new challenge." Karmarkar says no daily soap actor wants to give up the security even if s/he is choked with frustration.

"But what is monotony or dissatisfaction to others is security for many," opines Ali. "In the last five years I have never felt bored or dissatisfied with my role." "Working in a daily is more like a switch-on, switch-off job," says Manish Goyal who has done Kahani, Kasuatti and is currently doing Bhabhi. "It teaches you to be quick and spontaneous. But it is very stressful because you are shooting scenes back-to-back. There is little time to think and understand scenes. So you end up reading lines and following the director."

Shweta Kwaatra of Kahani and Kkusum fame says dailies are a mix of good and bad in terms of script, making and performances. "It is just not possible for actors to give performance-oriented scenes when they are shooting everyday. Creativity is high at the beginning of the schedule but after about 10 days it starts having a telling effect on an actor's work. Though I always tried to do my best I can't deny that I was not at my best all the time."

Admits Ali, "It is just not possible to excel in a daily. There are a lot of things you don't get a chance to do." Most actors say that often scenes are written on the sets and given to them a few minutes before they are shot. Another common practice is that scenes are written on the sets on the basis of the availability of actors.

Compromise is the key word in dailies. "People are more worried about the day's output," reveals Romanchak Arora who has worked in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Zindagi Teri Meri Kahani. "Since there is little time to discuss scenes with the director and co-actors it becomes difficult for actors to work out a proper character graph. Besides, writers and directors also change frequently which affects the creativity further. Dailies are nothing but money-making products for channels, production houses and actors."

However, Tasneem Sheikh who has done as many as 12 dailies loves to work in them. "Everything moves very fast. Good actors don't have problems with the pace of work. I find weeklies very frustrating." But not many agree with Tasneem. Shweta Kwaatra is of the view that actors have literally become workers. She feels actors are losers.

"They are stressed out, overexposed and paid less in comparison to their workload," she adds. Actors are paid anything between Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 per day, depending on the role and the actor's reputations and popularity. There are a few exceptions that are paid anything between Rs 30,000 to 40,000.

Sanjay Upadhyay, Creative and Ideation director of BAG Films that produces Kumkum says the pattern of work in dailies is such that actors are expected to work like workers. "But it is wrong to say that they have become workers," he emphasises. "Today a whole lot of responsibilities are shouldered by actors. A director who grooms and fine-tunes actors besides shaping the final product is missing. Today assistants who follow the creative director and channels' brief to execute scenes have taken his place. So in the absence of the director not only actors feel lonely but carry double responsibility on their shoulders. Their contribution has increased and the creative input has gone up. It's a harrowing experience for them to shoot 10 scenes in a day, five of which are hugely dramatic say who Alok Nath holds the system responsible for the mess. In his view thematically and treatment-wise almost 80 per cent of the dailies are similar.

"Where is the basic material? Story, good script, dialogues, direction, good scenes, great performances, where are they," he asks. "What is dominating and is highly visible in most dailies are the bright sets, costumes and young beautiful faces. They don't expect you to do good work."

Writer-director-producer Ajay Kartik sums up succinctly, "Televis-ion is a hungry monster. Its appetite is huge. Having created a huge demand for dailies without adequate infrastructure and expertise to meet the demand, channels are dependent on a handful of production companies, act like a ringmaster. They want which to take the most out of actors, writers, technicians and directors who have developed the worker's psyche and are burning out. So obviously the quality gets affected first. As for the actors, they look overworked, tired and haggard which can easily be seen on their faces and body language."
Upadhyay doesn't disagree with Kartik but says given the circumstances actors are working in where they have to perpetually look good, give over-the-top performances and put in their creative input in the absence of creative support most actors are doing good job though at the end of the day they are perceived as well-paid workers.