Actor Bijou Thaangjam, who hails from Manipur and appeared in films such as Mary Kom and Shivaay, has accused the production team of the upcoming release Jigra of “unprofessional behavior” during the casting phase. The actor took to social media, complaining that though he was picked for a role in the film, proper shooting dates were never given to him, and thus he lost other work due to it.
Bijou Thaangjam’s Allegations On Team Jigra
Bijou Thaangjam detailed his experience with the casting team of Vasan Bala’s Jigra, which stars Bollywood heroine Alia Bhatt, on X platform formerly Twitter. According to Thaangjam, the casting team approached him in 2023 to request him to submit audition tapes for a character in the film. He submitted two sets of audition tapes over a total period of four months within the timeline provided by the casting team.
But by November 2023, Thaangjam realized that he has been finalized for the role and that shooting will begin in December. However, no definite shooting dates were given despite assurance. “They told me I’d be shooting in December, fantastic, right? Except they never gave me any firm shoot dates,” wrote Thaangjam on his post.
I’m 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. #Jigra #JigraMovie #AliaBhatt #DivyaKhosla #VasanBala pic.twitter.com/zZBZjxOz6k
— Bijou ThaangJam (@BijouThaangjam) October 13, 2024
A native of Imphal, Manipur, Thaangjam was always emphatic that travel arrangements had to be worked out well in advance due to the problems associated with commuting from the Northeast to Mumbai. Of course, he says that the production team did not care much about that either.
Uncertainty and Missed Opportunities
It was just when it seemed a promising opportunity, Thaangjam soon became frustrated. He said, “I was ‘booked’ throughout December by the production team but without definite dates, nor confirmation as to when exactly they needed him on set.” This meant wasting far more of his time sitting around than the amount of time actually working, and made him pass up other prospects.
Thaangjam expressed his disappointment in the post, writing, “I lost out on many projects while sitting around, waiting for them to give me the go-ahead. But, of course, that never came.” According to him, it felt dismissive and discriminatory, adding, “Most big production houses treat actors from regions like the Northeast in such a manner.”
The Actor’s Experience Reflects Larger Industry Issues
All said and done, Bijou Thaangjam clarified that he was not making his allegations in any kind of agenda when posting this episode. His post, however, throws out into the open struggles of plenty of underrepresented region’s actors in India, especially those from the Northeast regions. In fact, it brought to the fore the ways big production houses mostly overlook the logistical issues with which actors face outside the prime hubs of the industry like Mumbai.
My time was wasted and other opportunities missed just because they thought I would be ready at a moment’s notice,” Thaangjam wrote. He added further, “I am writing this without any agenda or accusations. I just want to share the reality of how actors like me from Northeast are often treated by big production houses. Hopefully, this throws some light on what we face.”.
Ongoing Controversies over Jigra
Now, Bijou Thaangjam has come ahead with allegations against Jigra, which is already in the midst of controversy due to various reasons criticizing the film featuring Alia Bhatt in it. Karan Johar being the producer has been accused of dubious casting and fudging the box office collections. The movie has been compared with many recent projects and criticized for its plot line that happens to be closely similar to other movies.
Another controversy relates with the film when its director Divya Khosla Kumar recently accused the film of plagiarism. According to her, Jigra was indeed the story taken straight from her own film, which had been released in May. She further claims that the plot as well as style of narration of Jigra is too similar with her own film and this cannot be a coincidence.
In a Instagram story Khosla wrote, “Her note reads, “Went to Citi Mall PVR for Jigra show. The theatre was totally empty … all theaters going empty every where. #Aliabhatt me sach mein Bahut #Jigra hai.. khud hi tickets karide aur fake collections announce kar diye ( Alia Bhatt has some guts to buy tickets of her own film and then announce fake collections). Wonder why paid media is silent. #weshdnotfooltheaudience #truthoverlies #HappyDussehra Х (sic).” Her post comes amid reports of Jigra being a copy of Divya starrer Savi.”
Makers of this film are silent so far regarding issues brought up by Thaangjam but his claims have already created mounting accusations.
Cry for a Change in the Industry
In the social media, Thaangjam’s post has attracted several supporters who have been speaking up with him and calling for professionalism and transparency on the part of the film industry in casting. Discussions have cropped over his experience about the need to be more inclusive and fair towards all actors coming from whatever region, specially the ones from remote areas like the Northeast.
In this evolution of more widespread success and acclaim in Bollywood, each segment of the Indians is even more conscious of the inequalities regarding their specific domain of acting in Bollywood. Thaangjam’s instance serves as an alert to the fact that though international influences are trickling into the medium, much remains to be done concerning the provision of equal opportunities for artists irrespective of where they come from or their prevalent roots.
The allegations put forward by Bijou Thaangjam against the makers of Jigra touch upon an even more alarming issue within the Indian film industry wherein the underrepresented regions face a lack of professionalism and respect shown to its actors.
With controversies against Jigra continuing to hover on, the victimized experience of Thaangjam has entered a new level of concern for the production team behind this film. With no official response from the makers yet, it waits to see how this situation will unfold, but surely it has sprung important discussions regarding the fairness and respect reflected in the casting practices of Bollywood.
