Suresh Shyamlal Gupta, president of the All Indian Cine Workers Association, has called the death of a carpenter on the set of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Love and War’ a murder. He wants an FIR registered against Bhansali on murder charges. He also wants Rs 1 crore in compensation for the victim’s family and a fire and safety audit of all film sets before any further shooting takes place.
Gupta made these demands in an exclusive interview with IANS.
What happened on the set
A 42-year-old carpenter named Chandrabhan Singh Yadav died after suffering an electric shock on the set of Love and War at Film City in Mumbai. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions has offered the family Rs 40 lakh as compensation. Gupta said that amount is not enough.
“Nothing happens with Rs 40 lakh. Rs 1 crore is needed. He has two daughters. In today’s expensive times, who will take care of their upbringing? That is why we have demanded Rs 1 crore,” Gupta said.
“No safety norms on his set”
Gupta was direct in placing the blame on Bhansali and the absence of safety measures on the set.
“On the set of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, a 42-year-old worker used to work as a carpenter. He lost his life in a power cut. He was not alone. And, he had a whole family. His wife, two children, and a daughter. There were no safety norms on his set. That is why he lost his life. If there were safety norms, this worker’s life would have been saved,” Gupta said.
He called the death a direct consequence of negligence and said the word murder applied because proper precautions were not in place.
A pattern Gupta says goes back decades
Gupta did not stop at the current incident. He drew a line connecting four deaths across four different productions, all linked to Bhansali.
According to Gupta, a worker died on the set of Devdas in 2000. Another worker died on the same production in 2001. A third worker died on the set of Padmaavat in 2016. And now Chandrabhan Singh Yadav has died on the set of Love and War in 2026.
“Four deaths, one producer’s set. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s set. This is not an ordinary thing,” Gupta said.
The wider problem Gupta is pointing to
Gupta’s anger is not only directed at Bhansali. He raised a broader concern about the film industry’s approach to worker safety.
“Every year, many workers die on film sets. You rarely hear that a producer or a big actor has died on set. This does not sound good because everyone’s life is at stake. But every time, it is the workers who are reported to have died. Everyone knows there are no proper safety norms on sets. That is why people are losing their lives,” he said.
His point about the actors’ fees was pointed. He noted that lead actors on Love and War, including Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, are reportedly being paid Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore each. The worker who died earned a daily wage.
What AICWA is demanding
Gupta laid out three specific demands. First, an FIR against Sanjay Leela Bhansali on murder charges. Second, Rs 1 crore in compensation for the family of Chandrabhan Singh Yadav. Third, a comprehensive fire and safety audit of all film sets before shooting resumes.
The Rs 40 lakh already offered by Bhansali Productions falls well short of what AICWA is demanding. Whether the family accepts the offered amount or holds out for the Rs 1 crore that AICWA is calling for has not been reported.