Mangesh Kadam, Leena Bhagwat respond to pay row over Marathi play 'Aamne Saamne'

A row over actors' fees in the Marathi play 'Aamne Saamne' has been in the news for the past two days. Actors Rohan Gujar and Ketaki Vilas had posted a video on social media claiming they had been dropped from the play. They also said in the video that they had been asked to stop the play because of the fee issue. Other artistes and audience members also shared their views on social media. Mangesh Kadam and Leena Bhagwat, producers and actors in the play, have now put their side across in a video.

Leena Bhagwat said she watched the reactions to Gujar and Vilas's video through the day. She then felt some things needed to be clarified, so she decided to present her side.

According to her, the actors' video gave the impression that they were abruptly removed from the play after asking for higher fees. But an important point was missing from the discussion: this was the third time the actors had proposed an increase.

Bhagwat said that when the first proposal came, the play had not yet begun and a raise was needed after several years, so the producers accepted it. A second proposal for an increase came after the performances began.

Kadam said that when the second proposal came, he spoke to the actors himself. He asked what they expected, and the producers accepted the amount they named. According to Kadam, he has written messages about this. After the increase, the performances went smoothly again. But before a year was out, during a tour of Canada, another proposal for a raise came.

Kadam also clarified that while raising the fees the second time, he had asked the actors whether they had any other expectations. The actors had then said the existing fee was sufficient.

On the third proposal, Bhagwat said the producers were told this time that the fee had to rise every year. According to her, it is not necessarily possible for any producer in Marathi theatre to raise actors' fees every year. She said, "It was not possible for us. So we said no."

Bhagwat also said that if the fees the actors want cannot be paid by the producers, it is not right to make them work. For this reason, the decision to stop the play was taken.

After putting forward her side, Bhagwat said she will not post any more videos or social media posts on the matter. She said she had tried to make her position clear through this video. After the actors' claims and the clarification from the producers Kadam and Bhagwat, the fee issue remains a talking point in Marathi theatre.