Naseeruddin Shah: 'A large share of a film's earnings is eaten away by the demons called distributors and exhibitors'

Veteran star Naseeruddin Shah‘s words always pierce through given how honest they often are. The actor spoke bluntly about a film’s success and its aftermath at the felicitation ceremony for the Lifetime Achievement Award for Cinema Projection. He said, “The bitter truth is that those who work the hardest while making a film, their remuneration is the lowest.

They stand in water till their waist and look after the broken electric wires. They carry reflectors. They carry bags on their shoulders and climb on the top and remain there throughout the day; nobody asks them for water or tea. Their payment is one-thousandth of those who sit on chairs under the fan while having sherbet and show attitude.”

The sad part is that this saga doesn’t end with the completion of the film. When the film gets completed and if it becomes successful, toh iski asli malaai distributors aur exhibitors naam ka darinde kha jaate hain (a large share of it is eaten away by the demons called distributors and exhibitors). And those who make our dreams come true, nobody knows them, and they are neither given respect nor rewards.