[Reader-list] Can I borrow your term 'Reflected Appraisal'?

[Vasundhara Prakash]

Reflected Appraisal is the perception of how others perceive us and
evaluate us. This theory suggests that we see ourselves as others see
us, or as we think they do. It is perceived reactions. The operative
word here is "perceived"   because research has demonstrated that a
person's interpretation of others' opinion is conditioned by self
analysis and may not necessarily be accurate. The research also
suggests that the extent, to which this perception of external
appraisal shapes our judgment of ourselves, depends on the importance
to us of the people providing it. Particularly influential are the
reactions of "significant others," people whose opinions make a
difference to us.

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January 23rd, St. Carmel School, Bandra, Mumbai. This was the first
time I was going to meet junior artistes shooting for the film,
'Marathon'. The first person I met was Kitty, an English-speaking,
well-dressed, Catholic girl in her early 20s. After having struggled
to explain what a fellowship meant, in the course of proving that I
wasn't a journalist, Kitty told me how they all hated journalists.
"Many of the people have families in villages, but we live with our
families here who read the kind of stories that journalists write
about us, that spoils our reputations."

They fear being misrepresented. XYZ told me about an article that had
been written about dance bar girls which featured photographs of
junior artistes. They felt cheated, betrayed and completely
misrepresented.

>From day one when a person comes to either the Junior Artistes'
Association/Mahila Kalakar Sangh office s/he is judged on the basis of
looks and age ie; their exterior selves and classified into grades.

The Junior Artistes Association (men's wing) has the following grades:

Grade A: This class comprising of both young and old are required
usually for hotel scenes, airport scenes.
Grade B:  men are used for playing villagers, constables etc.

The Mahila Kalakar Sangh (women's wing) has the following grades:

Super Class: Class members are required for parties, wedding scenes,
airports etc,
Grade A: members for a regular crowd in hospitals, market places etc,
Grade B: members are those who can pass off as villagers, beggars etc.

Members are to be classified at least every five years if not
annually. All the members are called in the office one by one and two
producers, two Federation officer-bearers; two cine agents/suppliers
classify them into different grades.

When one does become a member a lot depends on your
relationship/rapport with the Junior Artiste supplier/Cine Agent. If
you're in his (almost always) good books, you are bound to get more
work. Therefore a supplier's opinion about you gets you all the work.

So in a junior artistes' life others' opinions, judgments,
classification, appearance, grading, reputation are crucial.

While a group of psychology students engage in finding answers to
"Where do judgments come from? Are they based on human instincts or
are they influenced by outside variables? If they are influenced, what
is most likely to have an impact on judgments and what had the
strongest impact? What are the patterns of judgment of others based on
their own gender and other personal traits? Do people think they have
the right to judge others more in one field if they believe themselves
to be superior in that field?"  I will share with you what the
"significant others" really think about junior artistes. The following
is based on meetings, interviews, chats, arguments and counter
arguments with various people from the Hindi film industry on their
experiences, treatments, grouses, perceptions and opinions of Junior
Artistes.



"The irony of being recognized"
Anurag Kashyap is one of those directors who casts junior artistes in
major roles. Junior artiste and Assistant Supplier, Deva was cast as a
police official in Black Friday. Anurag refuses to work with the top
classes of the Association members because eventually it is the same
people who are sent for work. And a recognizable junior artiste makes
a film look unreal and unauthentic. There are many who get stuck in
this sort of a phase when they are relatively recognized but precisely
because of their recognition nobody wants to give them work.
Anurag feels a huge difference in the way junior artistes are treated
in India and in the treatment abroad. "Gai bhains ki tarah haankte
hain" He adds that it is more difficult for women because they are
assumed to be prostitutes. One often hears of such incidents
concerning female junior artistes and production people, even big time
stars at times. He adds that a lot of female junior artistes even get
opt for C-grade films.
Anurag narrating his own experience of working as an extra in ad films
and a feature called Chirantan for pocket money says that there are
many people who eventually become members of the Association because
it is difficult to go back to your homes with the humiliation of not
being able to make it.
Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Love Story 2050 (2006) (announced) (dialogue), Fool and Final
(2006) (pre-production) (dialogue), Guru (2006) (filming) (dialogue),
Water (2005) (Hindi dialogue and script consultant), Main Aisa Hi Hoon
(2005) (dialogue), Yuva (2004) (dialogue), Black Friday (2004)
(screenplay), Paisa Vasool (2004), Paanch(2003), Nayak: The Real
Hero(2001) (dialogue), Jung (2000), Shool (1999) (dialogue), Kaun
(1999), Satya (1998), Kabhie Kabhie (1997) (TV series)
Director: Gulal (under-production) Black Friday (2004), Paanch (2003)
Actor: The Maharaja's Daughter (1994) (mini TV series) as Lt. Sayed, Chirantan()



 "Lower Depths"
Debu calls the junior artistes the underbelly of the Hindi film
industry, drawing a parallel to Maxim Gorky's Lower Depths. Because of
their backgrounds, many being slum-dwellers, junior artistes are
looked down upon. He says that it's not about the profession that much
as is it about the class they come from- exploitation of this class is
rampant, anywhere and everywhere. One hears of female junior artistes
being taken advantage of, especially on outdoor shoots, some women are
specially brought for this. When I ask him if it is forced, he says
money is an indirect force.
Other people on the sets have notions about junior artistes that they
dirty the toilets, make a mess of everything. Debu believes that an
orientation of junior artistes as well as about them is extremely
necessary for promoting professionalism in the industry.
Bombay film industry is all about the money, there is no dignity of
either art or the artistes. "Jo sabse zyada paisa leta hai, woh Boss
hai, Junior Artiste sabse kam paisa leta hai, to woh naukar hai".
There are many directors who don't even bother to find out the actor's
name. And Debu should know since he has himself risen from the ranks.
"Yahan Art nahi hai, yahan pet hai"
Debuyandu Bhattacharya
NSD Graduate, Actor: The Rising (2005) as Krupashankar Singh, Black
Friday(2004) as Yeda Yakub, Ab Tak Chhappan(2004) as Zameer's Gang
member, Aetbaar(2004), Maqbool(2003) as Chinna's killer, Monsoon
Wedding(2001), Divya Drishti(2001) as Hawaldaar



"I felt humilated…."
Richa was auditioned and signed for the original Munnabhai MBBS, when
Shah Rukh Khan was supposed to play the main lead and the setting was
supposed to be of a chawl (dhobi ghaat later). Ultimately her role was
reduced to that of a Junior Artiste. She started being treated like
one on the sets. She confessed to have felt extremely humiliated. Soon
she walked out of the film.
Richa also told me that to know more about their lives it would be
interesting to talk her TV actor friend's driver, because the junior
artiste interact mostly with drivers.
In the Indo-french film Hawa Aane De, Richa plays a bar dancer. She
wonders why on one hand she was very proud to get the opportunity to
portray a different kind of role, the junior artiste in the background
would hide their faces.
Richa Bhattacharya
NSD Graduate, Actor: TV serials,The Rising(2005), Hava Aane De(2004),
Dhoop(2003)



"Gender Stereotypes and expectations"
There is a stereotype about the women junior artistes. They are
expected to "compromise". Since everything eventually comes down your
rapport with the hand that feeds you, in the case of a supplier, he
always tries to please the production by offering women to the
assistant directors and production managers.
Apu recalls instances on the sets when women were thrown at him, so
that the supplier could get a better cut or the Mahila Kalakar herself
would be able to stand in the centre, near the main leads.
Apartiem Khare
Associate Director, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam(1999), Devdas(2001/2), Black(2005)



"The problem is with us"
Devang says that we can't blame the junior artistes who are anyway
extremely underpaid and ill-treated, for not being involved and
responsible on the sets. Instead he takes the blame saying that there
is a need for better planning and organization at the higher level. He
suggests that the supplier should be involved in the pre-production
stage and then it should be the responsibility of the supplier to make
sure that the environment/ambience is created appropriately by the
junior artistes as per the requirement. He proposes an orientation of
the junior artistes about their work.
Devang Desai
Assistant Director: Bhoot(2003), White Noise(2005), Kaal(2005),
Salaam-e-Ishq(under production)



"Many experienced veterans"
Talking from experience Rakesh thinks that if one treats junior
artistes as humans, they are fine. Unfortunately they are not usually
treated as human beings. On the sets mostly their identity is from the
colour of their clothes, "Oye! Red shirt!", "Green pant, tum idhar se
idhar passing dega!"
Rakesh also narrates incidents when some of the veteran junior
artistes have displayed a far more informed technical knowledge of
camera angles, lenses and frames than the technicians themselves.
Rakesh Sain,
Assitant Director,



"Tragic Comedy"
Most junior artistes come to the industry to become stars but
unfortunately nobody tells them that they can't, ultimately it's a
gradual acceptance. According to Vikramaditya junior artistes are an
extremely important part of the film but sadly they don't get the
respect in return. They are treated badly, yelled at, many a times not
provided with basic facilities such as toilets.
The junior artiste group is an extremely close-knit group, actually
the only group that doesn't interact with anybody else on the sets.
Vikramaditya points out that the older women especially can be quite
grumpy and uninvolved in their work probably because they are the most
affected by trend of non members being roped in for their work.
When asked if he thought women were treated any differently he said
"they're all one". Though what interests him about junior artistes is
the relationship they have with the suppliers; suggesting obvious
sexual undercurrents.
Vikramaditya's favourite junior artiste moment was when he shot the
rock song in Paanch. The song was shot in very long takes and
therefore the crowd (junior artistes) got quite involved and started
reacting to the performance (by actor KayKay) and the song like they
were actually in a rock concert. "It looked right, it felt right". He
thinks the more involved they are, the better they work.
He considers junior artistes to be both insiders in terms of their
importance and outsiders in terms of their treatment and involvement.
As we step out of the coffee shop, Vikramaditya says he always wonders
why 'extras' is a derogatory term just for Indians who are doing
"extra" work while everywhere else in the world it is an accepted
term?
Vikramaditya Motwane
Executive Assistant: Deepa Mehta, Water (2005), Director, songs and
Sound Designer: Paanch (2003), Associate Director and Sound Designer:
Devdas (2002/I)



"I don't find anything to romanticize about"
Prawaal thinks that there is nothing to romanticize about junior
artistes, they are well-paid and well-treated. Everybody is here to do
their job; a film set is not a family, it's not supposed to be. "You
do your work, you get paid, and you go home." According to Prawaal
junior artistes are not supposed to be creatively involved in the
film, they are merely moving props but are just as much a part of the
film as anybody else is.
A director/writer/actor is committed to or belongs to a film at least
till the film is released but a junior artiste has no-sense of
belonging to any film that is because they work in different films
every shift, it would be ridiculous to expect them to be involved.
Prawaal Raman
Director, Zabardast (underproduction), Darna Zaroori Hai(2006), Loot
(Stuck/On Hold)
Gayab, Darna Mana Hai (also the story writer)



"Baithe Hain Rahguzar Pe Hum, Koi Hume Uthaye Kyon?"
It is probably because of the fact that Imtiaz is so fond of junior
artistes that he had so much to say about them. As a director, he
compares junior artistes to props, they are numbers that one uses to
dress a frame. Their treatment as mere objects that can be quantified
causes further angst to their misery of shattered dreams. He says one
has to be careful when it comes to junior artistes, you have to
understand why they are the most seemingly desentisized people in the
industry. The primary cause of their bitterness is probably because
almost all junior artistes have higher aspirations which with time get
crushed. The journey to become a hero and the feeling of self gets
trampled along the way. Imtiaz believes that they are always wearing
their armours, ready for combat, almost fortifying themselves against
any possibility of being hurt. You can't expect them to
enthusiastically participate in your collective dream of the film
because for them their biggest dreams have already been shattered.
They put their guards down only when you make them trust you that you
acknowledge the fact that they human beings too. Little things like
who gets a chair, how many times does one can get chai and who can
talk to the director are the kind of things junior artistes are
sensitive about. He points out that interestingly the different grades
determine their treatment and the demands they can make. Imtiaz argues
that one can understand that the main actors are important but that
doesn't give anybody the authority to defile anybody's sensitivity.
Though it is difficult to be friends with junior artistes especially
girls because they always think one expects something in return.
As far as the girls are concerned, he hasn't had any direct experience
but he has reasons to believe that there are many "informal
prostitutes". He explains that he understands why a woman junior
artiste would be attracted to prostitution that is because she shares
the misfortune that a film heroine has. Her film career span is very
short and at the time when she is at the prime of her look, she tries
to make the most of it. They have to be content with the fact that as
the years go by the money be less. One often hears of women junior
artistes being full-fledged prostitutes and 'kepts'.
Then Imtiaz fondly remembers Saira, a junior artiste who turned out be
a talented actress. After having given her a character in the TV
serial, Imtihaan, he would encourage her to take the leap and try to
become an actress. Since a board consists of only numbers of the
requirement, you cannot ask for a specific junior artiste. "When I
would insist on her the word got around that I wanted to sleep with
her." When Imtiaz met her after a few years, he realized that Saira
was already on her journey down.
Imtiaz realizes that there is a certain comfort in not having to go
from one director to another with your photographs and resume to be an
actor but being a junior artiste. He says that it is almost like
prostitutes where there are no pretensions; their worth is on their
faces (different grades). "Main 600 wali hoon!" "Main 400 wala hoon!"
"Jo hain yehi hai"  He quotes Ghalib saying, "I am already at the
lowest point, who is going to put me down further"
Imtiaz Ali
Director and Editor, Television for 7yrs, Socha Na Tha (2005)
Actor, Black Friday as Yakub Menon



"The obsession with the stars: a vicious circle"
Earlier there used to be three kinds of junior artistes:
1.In the crowd, 2. near the Hero/Heroine 3. saying dialogues. Now one
usually finds crowd scenes being given to Association members while
the better looking models are placed near the main leads and the
talking roles are given to either struggling actors. One also finds a
trend of special appearances by stars becoming a favourite.
It is an extremely sad story that film journalism is completely
centred around the stars because that is what the masses are
interested in while the other aspects of cinema are of academic
interest only. Popular writing comprises of rumours, gossip and trivia
about the stars.
~Legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith of the New York Post, author of
Dishing, argues that gossip builds fame and legends: "I always say to
people when they object to the things that are written about them,
'Accept it as part of your myth.'"~
According to Ajayji every junior artiste comes to Bombay to become a
star. Though many people from Bombay who become members are
slum-dwellers and for them this is a job opportunity that pays like
any other B-grade C-grade job. There is no aspiration or a higher goal
for stardom.
Ajay Brahmatmaj
Film journalist, Dainik Jagran




"Models do exist"
Navdeep after having admitted that he knew very little about junior
artistes agrees that especially in ad films because of their glossy
and glamorous look they usually require better looking junior artistes
(Super Class and Grade A) and models. It is not a social judgment but
just a requirement.
Navdeep
AD filmmaker, Red Ice



"The Model Game"
Jordyn dedicates a chapter on models in his book, Backside Bollywood.
"This chapter details an informal system of how in-front-of-the-camera
talent operates, displaying the internal dynamics of a huge chunk of
the film world which receives scant attention." He rejects the popular
belief that almost all junior artistes come to become stars, his
observation is that serious and able aspirants choose the model route
instead. Going through model coordinators models get better work,
better treatment, better exposure and also better money.
Jordyn Steig
Author, Backside of Bollywood: Hindi Films Up Close and Personal In
Mumbai (unpublished)
Actor, Mitti(2001), Page 3(2005)



"Most helpful…."
Shubhankar narrates various incidents when the junior artistes have
stood out to be the most helpful and giving people in the industry.
During a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film shoot, the producer Bharat Shah
had been jailed, Bhansali informed everybody that he would not be able
to pay everybody right away. Inspite of the fact that junior artistes
are paid daily, they were the first ones to come forward to cooperate
with Bhansali, and worked for months without money.
According to Shubhankar they're an extremely close-knit community and
he thinks them to be complete insiders of the industry.
Shubhankar
Assitant Director, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam(1999), Haasil(2003), Devdas(2001/2)


	
"Parallel narrative"
In Nikhil's 8-year experience as an assistant, while the director
concentrated on the foreground with the main leads, he enjoyed
constructing his own stories in the background. He believes that the
foreground and the background should blend smoothly without either of
them sticking out as a sore thumb. He doesn't believe in unimaginative
passings from one side of the frame to the other like zombies. He says
he always encourages his assistants to develop corresponding stories
in the background. A good example of this is the scene from Kuch Kuch
Hota Hai, where the actress Neelam, playing a TV host, asks the crowd
for love messages to be aired live on television. This is right before
Kajol's character Anjali finds out that the little girl, Anjali in the
summer camp is her college friend's (Shah Rukh Khan's character)
daughter. Interestingly, it is Nikhil Advani(assistant in KKHH) who
comes out of the crowd and gives a nasty message to his wife saying
he's dumping her because he has found somebody else.
Another thing that he encourages his assistants to do is to find out
the names of the junior artistes. In long schedules he would always
make it a point to either find out their names or give them names
lovingly. He realized that by doing so the junior artistes felt as if
they were part of the film not just notionally but substantially.
Unfortunately junior artistes are usually treated like cattle in this
industry. Comparing them to extras abroad, Nikhil jokingly says that
if they were to be treated the way the junior artistes are treated
here, they would shut us down immediately. He says that the disparity
is ofcourse because of the difference between a developed country and
a developing country. He adds that though there is no excuse for it,
most of the production is treated like that.
Finally Nikhil shares his major grouse against the Junior Artiste
Association. He argues that for a cinematographer to get work, s/he
needs a degree from a recognized institute say the Film and Television
Institute of India (FTII), work under an established director of
photography, who writes a recommendation and it is only then that s/he
can become a member of their Association. The same goes for dancers,
make-up artists, set designers etc. "So how is it that a junior
artiste is not expected to act? How is that everybody behind the
camera is supposed to have a certain skill but the people who are
going to be seen on camera require no qualifications?" Besides,
becoming a member of the junior artiste Association is a mere
fulfillment of the Bombay dream of becoming a star. Therefore there
are 800 members out of which only a small percentage know how to act.
He agrees with his assistant, Devang's suggestion that there should be
an orientation for the junior artistes that would equip them to
understand the basics of the work better.
Nikhil Advani
Director, Kal Ho Na Ho, Salaam-e-Ishq(under-production)
Assistant Director, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai(1998), Mohabbatein(2000) Kabhi
Khushi Kabhi Gham(2001)



"Those who get desperate, join the Junior Artistes Association"
Interestingly, Asha K. Chandra aspired to become a star herself but
now she runs an acting school that trains aspirants in film acting,
dance and fighting.  Ashaji tells me that there are people who after
having struggled for sometime give up and become members of the Junior
Artistes Association as a way to sustain themselves.
Asha Chandra
FTII Graduate, runs a film acting school in Juhu, features in Lalit
Vachani's Star Maker



"Bas Ek Parivar Jaise Hain"
Deva insists that nobody becomes a junior artiste in order get a break
into acting. Earlier only Muslim girls used to join this line but
gradually people realized that it is a decent way to earn a living,
now there girls and boys from all kinds of backgrounds and families
that come.
According to Deva, the struggling actors and even the assistant
directors should become members and work for atleast six months, he
believes the kind of exposure and access one get to the industry and
the people would be useful for them. For him, it is a perfect platform
for learning and experience.
Coming back to the question of how many junior artistes think this
line to be an entry into the industry, he insists that our junior
artistes have no such ambitions. Many times junior artistes don't want
to be in the centre, be seen or given lines that is because once a
junior artiste is seen in a scene, s/he will not get more work in that
production. How things work here is that a particular supplier has his
set of junior artistes that he sends to X,Y,Z production. If a film is
being shot with junior artistes for 100 days, a junior artiste
normally is used for various scenes say, railway station, market
place, airport etc, so consistent work for 100 days is assured. But
once a junior artiste gets a line say as a ticket collector, he is
seen and therefore cannot be used again.
When I tell Deva that one thing that everybody says about junior
artistes is that they have an extremely strong Association, he
immediately corrects me saying that is us who are strong and always
looking out for each other, the Association does its work in pulling
out non-members from film sets.
Deva
Junior Artiste and Assistant Supplier, Guddu Suri, Suri & Co.
Actor, Police official in Black Friday



"Better facilities"
It was in the office of the Federation of Western Indian Cine
Employees that I met Ms. Nones. She had been called by Mr. Ranjan, the
Secretary of the Federation to meet me. Thinking that I am a
journalist (as usual!) they'd already prepared a list of problems that
needed media attention.  Unfortunately only 10% of the members and
that too of only the Super Class get consistent work, others get only
5-10 days work in a month. Another trouble they face is lack of basic
facilities like toilets and changing rooms.  Having said that, Delphin
says that there are both people who are suffering because of lack of
work as well as people who are quite well-off. The media tends to
always focus on their plight, completely ignoring people who are
earning a decent living out of this profession.  She gives me a list
of old people who did substantial work as junior artistes in their
time and supported their families.
Delphin Nones
Vice-President, Mahila Kalakar Sangh



"Roz Kuan Khodna, Roz Paani Peena"
Aziz Khan says it is not an easy life. What usually happens is that
the higher grades are connected with the suppliers on a daily basis
through mobile phones, but the rest of the grade members have to go to
the Association office everyday and wait for that one phone call from
the production that will get them work that day. Therefore, it's an
everyday struggle.
Aziz Khan
Ex- Junior Artiste Association council member