Jul 01, 2025 03:15 PM IST
Poonam Dhillon said that this three-month period is tough for actors who earn a few thousand rupees per day and have no strong contracts or legal backing.
Actor Poonam Dhillon has opened up about the issue of late payments faced by actors in the television industry. Speaking with news agency ANI, Poonam shared how things are tough for “small-time actors” in the industry. Talking about the change in the last two decades, she said that earlier actors were paid at the end of the day or month. However, now many television actors are being paid after ’90 days’.
Poonam Dhillon on troubles faced by small-time actors
She added how this period is tough for actors who earn a few thousand rupees per day and have no strong contracts or legal backing. “Today, a television actor, especially, gets paid after 90 days. I’m talking about short-term actors who earn a few thousand per day, and they work only two to three days a month. We’re not talking about stars who earn lakhs or crores of rupees. They get all the money from their contracts. If they don’t get paid, they won’t leave their house,” she added.
Poonam on how actors with families have to wait months for their payment
Poonam also pointed out how delayed payments affect actors who play smaller roles and are hired just for a day. “But these small-time actors, people who are playing roles like a chauffeur, waiter, or a lawyer, a doctor — who work just for a day and leave, then have to wait for 90 days for their payment. They have families, children, bills to pay, and they have to cover their basic expenses,” she said.
Poonam on changes in last few years
She also added how these actors are expected to travel to places even two hours away and are not given any transport allowance. “And we’re not talking about every actor, not the big actors. They have their legal support and can go to court if needed. But these actors don’t even have contracts. Earlier, they were given money for conveyance, like 300 rupees to cover transportation. Today, they’re asking for 500 rupees, but they’re not given anything. They’re expected to travel to places that could be two hours away, without any transport allowance,” she added.
Poonam is also the president of CINTAA (Cine and Television Artists Association).
