Now, UPKA deals its trump card!

MUMBAI PLAYS its card right every time one acts there. ?So why can?t UP do just that too,? asks Vinod Mishra, secretary of UP Kalakar Association (UPKA).

MUMBAI PLAYS its card right every time one acts there. “So why can’t UP do just that too,” asks Vinod Mishra, secretary of UP Kalakar Association (UPKA).

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A lawyer by profession, Mishra told HT Lucknow Live on Thursday that very soon the Kalakar Association of the state would start hampering the shooting of films and television serials of those producer-directors from Mumbai who do not get their unit members—actors, writers, technicians etc—a card from his association.

Mishra says that any artist involved in any manner with films and television shoot in the tinsel town have to necessarily get a card from the Artists’ Association there. “Without that the association members there raid the unit and stall shooting unless the producer-director either removes the person not holding a card from their association or pays up penalty. Several youths from UP had to suffer simply because they never had the Artists’ Association card there even though they had the card from our Kalakar Association.”

Mishra who plans to meet the Chief Minister soon on the issue says either the Artists’ Association in Mumbai has to recognise the Kalakar Association card when our people go shooting there or get one from us when their shooting units come down in the state to shoot. “If this is not agreed, we would start stalling film and television shooting here,” he said.

Involved with the Kadambari Theatre Group, Mishra said that they were also planning to move a PIL to highlight the neglect of UP people in UP Film Development Council.

“The UPFDC with Jaya Bachchan as its chairman is packed with all big names from Mumbai’s film industry. Most of them are from outside UP. And such big names in the UPFDC just make tall talks of making UP the hub of filmmakers but nothing concrete has emerged so far. What one requires are people from the state with an experience in films or television being given a chance to present their views at the UPFDC,” Mishra says. He added that the Kalakar Association would soon start resorting to dharnas and other forms of protest if the CM didn’t accede to their demands.