It has been a week since Rahul Arunoday Banerjee passed away off the Talsari beach during a shoot, but his family and the Tollywood fraternity are still awaiting clarity, and closure, on the circumstances that led to the fatal mishap. On Saturday afternoon, Tollywood came together for a silent protest march, demanding a proper and transparent investigation into the incident. The march, that began from Technician Studio and culminated at Radha Studio, was peaceful and restrained – there was no sloganeering, only placards bearing Rahul’s photograph and a collective demand for answers.
The technicians who were present during the mishap are nowhere to be found. No one is speaking. There has been ambiguity from day one as the same people are narrating three-four different versions of events
Arindam Sil
Tollywood come together for answers The march included a bevy of Tolly celebs, including Gaurav Chakrabarty, Sohini Sarkar, June Maliah, Ridhima Ghosh, Anirban Chakrabarti, Ritwick Chakraborty, Churni Ganguly, Rupanjana Mitra and others, reflecting unity within the industry. Speaking about safety concerns on sets, June said, “Why wouldn’t there be safety and security? There should always be a doctor and an ambulance on set, especially during outdoor shoots.” Anirban Chakrabarti added, “I’ve done many outdoor shoots in difficult locations where proper safety arrangements were not in place. In a unit, safety for technicians and actors is essential.” Highlighting the need for change, Churni Ganguly, who was part of the team that went to the Regent Park Police Station to file a zero FIR, said, “Until we can make safety clauses mandatory in every agreement, such accidents can’t be avoided. The moment a safety clause exists, we’ll be forced to take proper measures.”
Justice can come later; we first need to know what really happened. Although there were many eyewitnesses, there are multiple versions of the story
Srijit Mukherji
Questions over what happened A key concern raised during the march was the lack of clarity and multiple versions of the incident that have emerged over the past week. “There is so much ambiguity around the entire incident. We want to know the truth,” said Gaurav. To this, Ridhima added, “We understand it was an accident, but if that’s the case, why is the true narrative not coming out? We deserve to know the truth, for closure.” While Ritwick Chakraborty called for a transparent investigation, Rupanjana said, “What’s the need for a cover-up? What actually happened? People are changing their statements repeatedly.”
There should be a rule that does not change under any circumstances. All of us—directors and actors—have repeatedly faced life-threatening situations and survived by chance. Please give dignity to technicians and artistes. Knowing the truth is essential; that, in itself, is dignity.
Kaushik Ganguly
