Show me the money asked to TV Producer

Rio Kapadia is a chilled out guy. Except when he’s driven up the wall.



And this time, that seems to be the case. The actor, whose Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai wrapped up in April, is miffed with the producers of the show for not paying his dues. “The show went off air in April, but I have still not been paid,” says the actor. “The channel has paid the production house but they in turn, haven’t paid up a lot of actors. What happens is that as soon as the production house gets its money, they immediately put it up in a new show. Then they don’t care a s*** about the actors. When they want you, they’ll call you up a thousand times, but when their work is over, they won’t even answer your calls or messages.” The production house apparently owes him close to a lakh of rupees.

Things came to a head when after months of waiting and trying to get in touch with the producer Sheel Kumar, Rio himself went up to their office. “I waited 45 minutes but nobody came forward to solve the issue. That’s when I decided something has to be done and that’s the reason I’m speaking out now,” he says. Rio, who has been in the TV industry for a while now, says that he’s dismayed at the callous and ‘chalta hai’ attitude of some producers.

“Even when I was doing Ek Ladki... the actors had to wait a few months before they were all paid up,” he says. The actor agrees that there are times that the problem might be genuine but it doesn’t appear so this time. “The production house has a new show on air so it shows that they have enough money,” he adds.

But then, why hasn’t he approached the Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) all this time? “I would have approached them but I would rather resolve things in an amicable manner. An actor I know approached them four months ago but still nothing has been done. My patience is running out now,” he admits.