Horse-drawn film set protest over five-figure debt

CREW on a Bollywood epic being filmed in the Capital have staged a horse-drawn protest over what they say are unpaid wages.

The freelancers claim the producers of Mausam, which features Bollywood superstar Shahid Kapoor, owe them thousands of pounds.

Carriage-hire firm owner Andy Campbell, who says he is owed 5500, decided to draw attention to the dispute by turning up on set with two horse-drawn hearses bearing signs saying "Pay Our Wages".

He was joined by Leith-based costume designer Ali Mitchell, who says she and several other crew members are also owed thousands.

Mr Campbell, who runs Carriages for All Occasions, based in Blackridge, West Lothian, said he decided to put pressure on the company to pay up by arriving as they prepared to shoot in Melville Street.

He said: "We brought the hearses and horses up on to the street. They were waiting to film outside, and it was just to prove a point. We just drew them up and down the street."

He said he had only received about half the money he was owed for the hire of carriages, horses and staff hire in recent weeks, and wanted to ensure he was paid before the production returned to India.

He said: "It leaves a bad feeling in the back of the throat. We jumped through hoops and did things to try and give them what they were wanting."

Ms Mitchell said: "I was employed as the UK costume designer on the film and at the moment I have five members of my team, including myself, who haven't been paid all our wages, as well as people from several other departments.

"We're at a point now where I know of eight people who have instructed a lawyer to work on their behalf in the last week, and I think between those eight people there's something in the region of 30,000 owed."

She said one member of the team had outstanding wages dating back to May, and added: "We usually get paid at the end of every week. I've been in the business for 15 years and I've never encountered anything like this."

It has also been revealed that media and entertainment union BECTU is investigating complaints against the film's production company, Seasons of Love Films Ltd, relating to the Bollywood shoot.

The union's Scottish organiser Paul McManus said: "A number of crew members have contacted us to say that they're either owed money or have had a great deal of difficulty getting money out of the company, and there are a number of other health and safety concerns in terms of risk assessment and the hours they're asking people to work."

The production's UK line producer Crispin Buxton said he had no comment to make on the payment of wages, and was unaware of BECTU's investigations.

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