Summary of this article
All film and television shootings in Tollywood have been suspended starting Tuesday, following Rahul Arunoday Banerjee's death.
The decision is taken for the strict safety protocols for artists and crew.
The suspension will remain in place until proper measures are taken to safeguard the actors and crew members.
Bengali actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee's untimely death during a shoot of a TV show on March 29, 2026, has triggered severe backlash against the producers of the show for 'negligence'. There have also been widespread protests and FIRs against the makers. The Bengali film and television industry has come to a standstill after Rahul's death.
All film and TV shoots in Bengal will be suspended from Tuesday (April 7, 2026), the West Bengal Motion Pictures Artists’ Forum announced. The decision is taken for the strict safety protocols for artists and crew members.
Tollywood shuts all shootings from Tuesday over Rahul Banerjee’s death
The forum decided during an emergency meeting on Sunday (April 5). Several prominent personalities from the Bengali entertainment industry, including Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Shantilal Mukherjee, and Swaroop Biswas, attended the meeting.
Shantilal Mukherjee, secretary of West Bengal Motion Picture Artists’ Forum, told The Telegraph Online, "We first went to the producer demanding answers. We had some basic security questions which were not answered. A number of technicians went into the water after Rahul that day. They could have been harmed facing the same safety concerns."
"Amid conflicting narratives, and without having our basic answers met, we were forced to take this step," he added.
The West Bengal Motion Picture Artists’ Forum lodged an FIR on Saturday (April 4) at Regent Park Police Station against Bhole Baba Par Karega makers, accusing them of shooting in a “negligent manner”, risking human lives.
Mukherjee, addressing the press outside the police station, said that the complaint called for a “fair and transparent probe” into the incident.
Priyanka Sarkar, Rahul Banerjee's wife, also joined the Artists Forum as they filed the police complaint.
There was also a procession from Technicians' Studio to Radha Studio, with several Tollywood celebs joining it, carrying placards reading 'Justice for Rahul'.
