Click to play videoMumbai: They crash cars, play with fire and jump off waterfalls for a living. On the World Labour Day, meet the Shankar Anna and Riyaz—the faceless men you see in the action sequences of big-budget Hindi films.
They risk their lives for a meager Rs 1,000 everyday—are paid daily wages less than even what’s paid to the chauffer or the makeup artist.
Bollywood stuntmen for the last 30-years, these men swear by their fightmaster Harish Shetty for he is the only the person who cares about their safety.
“Insurance for on-shoot accidents is not provided to anyone. If someone gets injured we depend on the producer's contribution,” says Shetty.
These men perform stunt scenes and act as the body doubles of stars in fight sequences. Accidents are a part of their everyday routine. However despite the hazardous work, forget an insurance cover, even the wages are uncertain.
When their daily wages that range from Rs 500-800 a day also aren't paid, the junior artistes' association steps in.
“Once we pack-up, the payment has to be done on time. Else we have a union to take care of that,” says Raja Bhai, a union member.
These artists have to depend on the producer's charity in case of accidents and injuries. Being organized, even if in this squalid space, seems to be their only protection.
A dingy office in the railroad slums area of Jogeshwari, Mumbai, is where the junior artistes assemble so that they can be picked up on a daily basis by a senior agent—the middleman who deals with the film producer.
The third grade workers of the film industry tell a lot about the disorganized nature of Mumbai's filmdom. What’s worse is that most have accepted it as a way of life.
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