MUMBAI: Microblogging site Twitter saw the industry crossing swords on Tuesday, as filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt expressed his reservations over the royalty issue, rekindling the ever fresh dispute between Bollywood lyricists, singers and music directors versus film producers over the 50-50 sharing of profits on creative work as proposed in the amendment to the Copyright Bill 2010 lying before Parliament
Bhatt expressing his dissatisfaction over the bill wrote, “The producers are feeling marginalised they feel that the Copyright Bill, 2010 in it’s present form should sent back for re-drafting. The proposed amendment has been prepared without proper understanding of the Indian Film Industry, it’s practices & nuances of existing laws.
A wrong perception has been built up giving an impression that composers do not make money from a hit song. The fact is that composers/singers make millions by performing hit songs by way of live shows.” he further added.
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“Whereas the producers take the entire commercial risk. How can you ask for an equal share in the profit when you don’t share the loss?”, he further posted.
His comments irked quite a few including lyricist Javed Akhtar who replied, “No one is asking for a penny from the film’s profit. We are asking for our rights and dignity.” He further posted, “From all over the world royalties are collected in the name of author composers and often don’t reach them. We are thankful that soon a law will save the authors,composers from the contracts that are like bonded labour.”
Akhtar added that it is strange that Mahesh Bhatt wants to protect the rights of Zakir Naik but not of Pt Ravi Shankar, Rahman, Sonu Niigaam and Javed Akhtar. The lyricist’s wife, actress Shabana Azmi also tweeted in his support,”A share in the profits is not the demand but a royalty for when song is used as mobile ring tones or on radio or on TV. Producers make lyricists sign contracts that irrevocably waive all rights that might in future come to lyricist under copyright act. Unjust.”
Disagreeing with Akhtar and Azmi, Bhatt responded, “The feudal mindset of producers has to change. But this idea of the starving artiste is also exaggerated. But we can’t get far by merely demonising our producer brothers.”
A hoard of other musicians agreed to Akhtar in affirmation. Sulaiman of the musician duo Salim-Sulaiman wrote, “Agree with you completely Javed Saab. Indian composers and authors have been denied rights for too long and this bill will finally bring to us our rights.”
“I actually don’t understand what the producers are fighting for. Are they fighting for the measly minimum guarantee money that the music companies dish out? Or are they still in the jagirdari era where they need to own everything because they think the composers and authors are weak and insecure? And what do they do after owning it? Sell it to the music companies, making them all powerful and controlling,” he questions.
Singer Neha Bhasin also added, “I agree.. it’s time we artistes learn to stand up for ourselves & stop taking second hand treatment.”
It’s not the first time that the revenue-sharing model under the proposed amendments to the Indian Copyright Act 1957 has come under the scanner. In February this year, there was a similar spat between actor Aamir Khan and Javed Akhtar on the issue, forcing Aamir Khan to resign from a panel established by the human resources development ministry which he later withdrew. A 10-member Committee has been set up by the Government to look into the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act whose main bone of contention is to provide a solution over the provision for sharing profits between producers and other contributors to movies such as lyricists.
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