The actress Meera Deosthale has lately disclosed shocking information concerning the fact that she was not compensated for her work on the television drama “Vidya,” which aired in 2019. Even though she has been making consistent efforts over several months, including contacting the Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) and filing a complaint with the police against producer Mahesh Pandey, she has not yet received her entire compensation.
According to reports, Meera revealed that the show was cancelled in March of 2020; however, a sizeable chunk of her dues has not yet been paid. According to her, the production house is still owed ₹3,78,000. Initially, the whole amount that was owed was approximately ₹8 lakh; however, once she petitioned CINTAA in July 2022, only a partial payment was made regarding the debt.
Her report was submitted to the Bangur Nagar Police Station in May of 2023; however, there has been no action done against her as of yet. As an additional point of interest, Mahesh Pandey has stopped responding to her calls and messages. In addition, the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) that was supposed to be paid for her has not been addressed, which has resulted in further penalties.
In rebuttal to these charges, Mahesh Pandey asserted that Meera had signed a full and final (FNF) settlement and that he could show bank statements as evidence of payment.
In response to a leading daily request for additional information, Meera said, “These allegations are false.” Through coercion, he convinced me to sign the FNF document on September 10, 2020, claiming that the channel would only release the amount once it had received it. To prevent the checks from being returned as unpaid, he even wrote seven postdated checks to us and constantly instructed us not to deposit them. If he has cleared the payment, enable him to present the bank statement. As evidence, I have proof in the form of all the documentation and the post-dated checks.
The continued hardship Meera is experiencing to recoup her payments sheds light on the more widespread problem of non-payment and accountability in the entertainment business.
