5 minutes readMumbaiJune 28, 2026 12:26 pm EST
Actor Satendra Soni, known for his roles in films “Laapataa Ladies” and “Mirzapur”, shared an emotional video on Instagram on Sunday, claiming that he had a bad experience while shooting for the film in Madhya Pradesh. In the video, Satendra said that director Pushpendra Singh removed him and several other characters from the project after they demanded payment for eight days of work. He also alleged that Pushpendra threatened to kill them.
Satendra Soni claims director Pushpendra Singh threatened to kill him
In an Instagram video, an emotional Satendra Soni said, “I came to Mahyar to act in director Pushpendra Singh’s film called ‘Pedh Palkhi’. He gave us Rs 50,000 as the signing amount. After that, he told us that we will be paid during the shoot. Eight days have passed since we started shooting and when we asked him for money, he asked us to pack our bags and leave the hotel. He even threatened us kill.”
Read also: Bollywood’s “Caste System”: Food Category A, B, C; Character actors were paid after 90 days
In the caption, Satendra continued with the details and wrote, “Hello, my name is Satendra Soni. I am an actor. I went to Maihar, Madhya Pradesh to shoot for a film called ‘Ped Palki’. This film is directed and produced by Pushpendra Singh, who also directed ‘Ajmer 92’. They just sent me Rs 50,000 in advance to come for the shoot and committed to pay the rest of the payment during the shoot. I have was only 10 days of shooting. After 7-8 days I was not paid anything. There I also heard people in the unit saying that no one was paid. When I asked about payment, I was told to get ready. Pushpendra started threatening me and said, โCheck out of the hotel in 10 minutes, you cannot be seen in the hotel, otherwise we will kill you.โ I was very scared and in fear I started to check out of the hotel. Sridhar Dubey and Pankaj Sharma also came with me.โ
Satendra Soni later shared a video confirming that they reached Mumbai safely after receiving help from the Maihar police, actor Ashutosh Rana and others. In the video, Satendra said, “We reached Mumbai safely. The Maihar police gave us a lot of support; others also helped us. It was a very tough journey, but we returned to Mumbai. We were very worried mentally. It was the first time we faced something like this. This is a lesson for us. We were shocked and needed someone to motivate us. We reached Mumbai with a lot of difficulty, but now we are safe. Ashutosh Rana also helped us a lot. We there was a feeling of loneliness, it was clear from his behavior that his motive was different, but we, the artists, stood together and somehow managed to return.โ
Abuse of character artists
Last week, SCREEN reported on the mistreatment of character artists on film sets. The Satendra Soni incident is another reminder of the challenges these actors continue to face, especially when it comes to pay and job security. In an interview with SCREEN, character artist Jatin Negi said, “Payments for secondary and tertiary characters are often delayed. If you play a character role, it will be very difficult for you to get a salary of Rs 5 lakh. If the film flops, people say that they have invested everything in the project and there is nothing to pay others. There is a huge difference in the amount paid to the main characters and character artists. Tertiary characters are hired at Rs 5,000 per person. Per day an agreement can be made where they have to work for 2 days and after 2 months they get 8-10,000 rupees. Character artists are usually not respected; your role determines how much respect you get.โ
Actor Sunita Rajwar, meanwhile, shared, “Everyone is paid differently; it depends on the market value. Every director, even some big names, try to force artistes to work for free by saying that they are getting a platform. There are actors who are paid more for working for five days compared to those who work for 15 days. I have heard that character artists are the first to suffer losses or pay cuts; I have not experienced this. But one day a friend was told that her the payment will be reduced because the project is incurring losses.”
DISCLAIMER: This article contains personal accounts of emotional suffering and professional struggles in the entertainment industry based on unverified claims on social media. The information presented is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional or legal advice.
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