Mumbai is the city of dreams and draws people all across the country to be a part of the ultra-glamorous world of Bollywood. However, beneath the lure of glitz and glamour lurk wide economic disparities. While the leading stars bask in the limelight and lion’s share of money and recognition, juniour artistes are left behind to languish in anonymity. The artistes are used as background characters in key scenes of films.
In an interview with Lehren Retro, a juniour artiste named Sitaram Kadam, who has been part of showbiz for more than four decades, revealed that he would be paid just Rs 13 per day when he started out. In the 2000s, he was paid Rs 1,000-1,300 daily.
He recalled that he joined the movies for a stable income. “My mother would get paid Rs 1.5 per day, and my father would get Rs 2.5 per day. I couldn’t study much,” he said.
Sitaram revealed that his career began as a junior artist between 1974 and 1986, after which he transitioned into assisting a junior artiste coordinator. His responsibilities involved understanding the assistant director’s vision for background scenes and then guiding the supporting performers accordingly. During one such assignment, he unexpectedly got a small role in a Kodak advertisement, which became the stepping stone to his most memorable appearance in the iconic Fevicol commercial, where he portrayed the man struggling to crack an egg. The ad made him a known face overnight.
He recalled how, when he had gone to Varanasi to shoot for the Rani Mukerji-Abhishek Bachchan film ‘Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai’, many people recognised him.
He revealed that today, many major stars, such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Abhishek Bachchan, know him by name and face.
He also recounted a terrifying experience during the shooting of the 1992 film Khule-Aam, directed by Guru Dutt’s son Tarun. While filming an intense action sequence in which a village is supposed to suffer a great fire, several explosive devices had been strategically placed on the set. Unaware that one was positioned dangerously close to him, Sitaram narrowly escaped harm by instinctively running at the right moment. He later reflected that had he not moved in time, the accident could have ended tragically, marking one of the scariest moments of his career.
In an interview with Lehren Retro, a juniour artiste named Sitaram Kadam, who has been part of showbiz for more than four decades, revealed that he would be paid just Rs 13 per day when he started out. In the 2000s, he was paid Rs 1,000-1,300 daily.
He recalled that he joined the movies for a stable income. “My mother would get paid Rs 1.5 per day, and my father would get Rs 2.5 per day. I couldn’t study much,” he said.
Sitaram revealed that his career began as a junior artist between 1974 and 1986, after which he transitioned into assisting a junior artiste coordinator. His responsibilities involved understanding the assistant director’s vision for background scenes and then guiding the supporting performers accordingly. During one such assignment, he unexpectedly got a small role in a Kodak advertisement, which became the stepping stone to his most memorable appearance in the iconic Fevicol commercial, where he portrayed the man struggling to crack an egg. The ad made him a known face overnight.
He recalled how, when he had gone to Varanasi to shoot for the Rani Mukerji-Abhishek Bachchan film ‘Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai’, many people recognised him.
He revealed that today, many major stars, such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Abhishek Bachchan, know him by name and face.
He also recounted a terrifying experience during the shooting of the 1992 film Khule-Aam, directed by Guru Dutt’s son Tarun. While filming an intense action sequence in which a village is supposed to suffer a great fire, several explosive devices had been strategically placed on the set. Unaware that one was positioned dangerously close to him, Sitaram narrowly escaped harm by instinctively running at the right moment. He later reflected that had he not moved in time, the accident could have ended tragically, marking one of the scariest moments of his career.
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