Arjun Bijlani Calls for Respect, Better Planning on TV Sets
Arjun Bijlani speaks candidly about delayed payments and long waiting hours on sets, urging better planning and timely payments to improve the working environment for actors.
Television actor Arjun Bijlani, currently entertaining audiences as a participant in the popular cooking-reality show Laughter Chefs – Unlimited Entertainment, has opened up about two persistent challenges that many actors face on television sets: prolonged idle waiting times and delays in receiving payments. In a recent conversation, Bijlani shared his views with refreshing candor, emphasizing that simple changes in planning, mutual respect, and professional accountability could significantly improve working conditions for everyone involved in the industry.
One of the most common frustrations, according to Bijlani, is the practice of calling actors to the set early in the day only for them to wait hours—sometimes the entire day—before their scene is shot. He pointed out that this not only wastes valuable personal time but also drains energy and focus. “If an actor isn’t needed right away, there’s no reason to make them sit around for hours,” he said, suggesting a more practical approach: call performers roughly one to one-and-a-half hours before their actual shot is required. Such scheduling, he believes, would allow actors to manage their day more effectively and arrive fresh for their performance.
Bijlani acknowledged that actors are generally willing to extend their working hours when there is a genuine emergency or creative necessity. However, the situation becomes difficult when someone reports in the morning, waits through the day, completes a full 12-hour shift, and is then asked to stay back for a short remaining scene. Better advance planning and clear communication about the day’s schedule, he argued, could prevent such last-minute extensions and reduce unnecessary stress on the set.
