Amid 'Jigra' controversy, Indian actor accuses makers of 'unprofessional' behaviour
- By Web Desk -
- Oct 15, 2024
Amid a series of controversies and disastrous Box Office earnings of Alia Bhatt’s ‘Jigra’, an Indian actor has now accused the makers of the film of ‘deeply unprofessional’ behaviour.
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Ever since the theatrical release of Alia Bhatt-led jail-break thriller ‘Jigra’, backed by filmmaker Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, on Friday, the title has been marred with a series of controversies, including the plagiarism allegations, poor Box Office earnings and further concealing of numbers.
Amidst this, a Manipur-based actor, Bijou Thaangjam, known for featuring in films like ‘Mary Kom’ and ‘Shivaay’, turned to his handle on X, sharing his experience with the team, during the casting process.
In a statement shared on Sunday, Bijou Thaangjam disclosed he was being considered for a role in ‘Jigra’. However, was left in the dark about his casting, due to which he lost out on other projects. “I’ve been keeping my own experience with the Jigra team under wraps for a while, and maybe it’s time to speak up,” he began to share.
Thaangjam continued to reveal, “Back in 2023, I was approached by their casting team to audition for a role. I sent my tapes twice over the span of four months, playing along with their timeline. By the end of November, they told me I’d be shooting in December — fantastic, right? Except they never gave me any firm shoot dates. Still, they booked me for the entire month of December, expecting that I’d be ready to shoot for them at any moment.”
“As someone based in Imphal, Manipur, I made it very clear from the start that travel arrangements would need to be made, but that didn’t seem to matter. Throughout the month, I was left in the dark, communicating with the casting team but receiving no real updates on when I’d actually be needed. The last message I received was on December 26th, stating ‘Waiting for a revert’, and after that — complete silence. Meanwhile, I’d lost out on other projects because I was sitting around, waiting for them to give me the go-ahead. But of course, that never came,” he explained. “I understand how big production houses operate. The director is undeniably talented, but the way they handled this entire situation was deeply unprofessional.”
“For actors like me from the Northeast, it felt particularly dismissive, almost discriminatory. My time was wasted, and I missed out on other opportunities just because they expected I’d be available at a moment’s notice. I am not writing this with any agenda or accusations. I just want to share the reality of how actors like me from the Northeast are often treated by big production houses. Hopefully, this sheds some light on what we face,” concluded the actor.
Notably, co-starring Alia Bhatt with rising actor Vedang Raina, filmmaker Vasan Bala’s ‘Jigra’ follows the story of siblings – Satya, who turns hero to break her brother Ankur out of a foreign prison.
The title is co-produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Bhatt’s Eternal Sunshine Productions.