The West Bengal government has issued a detailed advisory to clean up how films, TV shows, and web series are made in the state. The rules cover three big things workers have complained about for years: getting paid on time, working reasonable hours, and shooting in safe places. The Information and Cultural Affairs Department issued the advisory on Thursday, October 29, 2026. A copy was made available to PTI on Friday, October 30, 2026.
The advisory applies to any production shot wholly or partly in West Bengal — no matter the language. That means Bengali, Hindi, English, and international projects all fall under the same rules. The goal is simple: bring transparency to an industry where payment delays and long shifts have been normal for too long.
What the Advisory Covers
The advisory touches every stage of production work. It sets rules for wages, shift hours, rest periods, overtime pay, workplace safety, and how workers can raise complaints. It also blocks guilds and associations from forcing people to buy membership cards just to get work.
A senior official from the Information and Cultural Affairs Department said the move is meant to streamline how the industry runs. The official said the advisory prevents guilds, federations, and associations from making membership cards or affiliation mandatory for professional assignments. No eligible artist or technician should be denied work just because they are not part of a particular association.
New Working Hours and Overtime Pay
The advisory proposes clear shift limits for different types of productions. For feature films, OTT productions, and web series, crews can work either a 10-hour shift with up to four additional hours, or an eight-hour shift with up to six additional hours. Both options are subject to statutory limits. For television serials, the proposal is an eight-hour shift with up to four additional hours.
Overtime pay gets a big change. Any work beyond the standard eight-hour shift for feature films, OTT projects, and web series must be paid at twice the applicable hourly wage rate. The advisory also requires a minimum six-hour consecutive rest period between two shooting schedules. That means no more sending crews straight from one shift into the next without a proper break.
Statutory minimum wages set by the Labour Department must be followed strictly. Mutually agreed wage arrangements cannot be used to reduce what workers are legally owed. The advisory also fixes accountability for payment defaults by line producers. Industry associations can examine complaints of non-payment and, in proven cases, recommend restrictions on future engagements — but only through a fair and transparent process.
Blanket industry-wide bans and coercive action against individuals have been prohibited. That is a direct response to what people in Tollywood call “ban culture” — the practice of cutting people off from work based on guild politics rather than professional conduct.
Timely Payment and Written Contracts
Payment problems have been one of the biggest sources of anger in the Bengali film industry. The advisory asks producers to maintain transparent wage structures and ensure timely payment of remuneration, overtime dues, and other contractual entitlements. Written contracts or engagement orders should be executed before work begins, wherever practicable. These documents must clearly state the agreed pay, payment schedule, working hours, and responsibilities.
Producer Firdausul Hasan said the government took suggestions from producers and also considered the concerns of other stakeholders. “Following this advisory will ensure that we have a professional working environment,” he said.
The advisory also addresses a long-standing complaint from outstation production houses. Many had flagged discriminatory rates for technicians working on films in other languages shot in Bengal. The new rules state that wage structures and applicable rates must be administered transparently across Bengali, Hindi, English, and other language productions.
No Forced Guild Membership
One of the most significant changes is the end of compulsory guild membership. Membership in any guild, union, or private association will no longer be a mandatory precondition for working in Tollywood. Eligible artists and technicians cannot be denied work solely because they do not belong to a particular organisation.
Producers also get complete freedom to determine crew size, composition, and categories based on actual operational needs. Private associations cannot compel them to hire a predetermined minimum number of personnel. Producer Himanshu Dhanuka welcomed the move. “Freedom to choose crews according to actual need can revive Bangla film production, attract investment and bring more shoots to Bengal,” he said.
Safer Shooting Locations and Facilities
Workplace safety gets a dedicated section in the advisory. Producers have been asked to ensure safe shooting locations, adequate drinking water, hygienic meals, proper sanitation, first-aid facilities, rest areas, and emergency arrangements. Safe transportation must be arranged wherever necessary, particularly after late-night shoots.
The advisory also stresses the need to prevent harassment, intimidation, bullying, discrimination, and abusive behaviour at workplaces. Producers and production houses must build appropriate safeguards and grievance-redressal procedures into their contracts and standard operating procedures. Every production is expected to have written standard operating procedures covering wages, working hours, overtime, payment records, workplace safety, welfare facilities, and complaint redressal.
Music director Prabuddha Banerjee said he has been insisting on contracts since the beginning of his career. “I welcome this initiative,” he said.
Actor Rupanjana Mitra pointed to the brutal hours crews have been working. “We have been working for 18-20 hours a day for the last 12 months. This advisory, if implemented, will benefit us a lot,” she said.
Why These Rules Matter: The Rahul Banerjee Case
The advisory did not come out of nowhere. The death of actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee on March 29, 2026, forced the state to act. Banerjee, 43, drowned during the shooting of the television serial Bholey Baba Par Karega at Talsari beach near Digha in Purba Medinipur district.
The incident led to an indefinite “cease work” across Bengali films and TV shows starting April 7, 2026. Artists and technicians demanded proper safety arrangements on sets, both indoors and outdoors. The West Bengal Motion Picture Artists’ Forum filed a police complaint against the production house, alleging negligence and a lack of proper security measures. The forum also alleged that the production may have been filming without the necessary official permits.
The fallout pushed the industry toward mandatory insurance for all Bengali films and a new standard operating procedure for safety. The advisory issued in October builds on those demands by putting safety and accountability into a formal government document.
Industry Groups and Digital System
The advisory encourages an institutional grievance-redressal mechanism involving relevant guilds, federations, and associations. The Information and Cultural Affairs Department will also explore setting up a digital information and facilitation system. This platform could include a directory of artists and technicians, online membership services, grievance tracking, and information on shooting permissions.
The advisory, signed by Information and Cultural Secretary Saumitra Mohann, also envisages awareness and enrolment initiatives to improve access to health insurance and social security benefits, including provident fund facilities for eligible industry professionals. The department will periodically review how the proposed measures are being implemented in consultation with the industry.
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Bengali cinema has faced years of internal disputes, guild monopolies, and what many in the industry describe as a toxic “ban culture.” The new advisory is the state’s attempt to reset those rules — and put workers’ pay, hours, and safety on paper for the first time.
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