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Actor and one of the film industry's foremost spokespersons Dharmesh Tiwari passed away on Wednesday morning in Chandigarh where he had gone to see a play. Raza Murad a close friend of Tiwari called it an irreparable loss for the entire film industry. Said Raza, "He was General Secretary of Cintaa (Cine & Television Artistes Association) for more than 14 years and the uncontested president of the Film Federation Of India for more than a decade. That is some sort of a record. He worked tirelessly for the rights of film workers and actors, fought for their rights fearlessly and stood up for them in times of crisis. I salute his guts, dedication and leadership. The void would remain forever." Adds Ashoke Pandit, "He sacrificed his own career as an actor for the betterment of the film industry. As the President of the Cine Artistes association, he did a fantastic job. He...

Controversy queen Rakhi Sawant has now taken up a new role of heading a committee which fights for the rights of under-paid artists. Cintaa (Cine and Television Artistes Association) has selected Rakhi Sawant as the Chairperson of the Disputes Settlement Committee. Claiming to be excited about this new opportunity, Rakhi will now be responsible for recovering the artistes' money, even if it means fighting with the producers. As per her recent statements, with the help of Dharmesh Tiwari, who is the President of Cintaa, they have already recovered more than Rs. 1 crore from TV serial makers to pay people who were involved in their shows.

The 3rd Indian Screenwriters’ Conference will be held from February 25 – 27, 2013 in St. Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra, Mumbai. Organised by the Film Writers Association (Fwa), the agenda of the conference is divided in two parts: ‘creative issues’ and ‘professional and legal issues’ facing television and film writers.

Only Fwa members are eligible to attend the event. Non-members will need to register as members first. For more details write to: screenwritersconference@gmail.com

Here is a detailed schedule of the conference:

Day 1: Monday, February 25

10am – 10:20am: Introduction to the Conference by Convenor & Co-Convenor, Isc

10:20am – 10:30am: Welcome Address by President, Fwa

10:30am – 11:00am: Chief Guest Javed Akhtar’s address

11:00am – 11:30am: Special Guest Tom Schulman’s address

11:30am – 11:45am: Tea/Coffee break

11:45am – 12:30pm: Keynote Speech by Shiv Vishwanathan

12:30pm – 01:00pm: Audience Q&A with Keynote Speaker

01:...

Yesterday, the incident that took place on the sets of producer-actor Ajay Devgn's forthcoming film Son Of Sardar (directed by Ashwini Dheer) was shocking. A light man named Machinder Arvel Aka Bala, got electrocuted just a few metres away, from where Devgn was shooting for the film and died on the spot. While Bipin Yadav, another light man, is in the ICU.

Dharmesh Tiwari, Fwice's President expressed serious concern over the incidents and termed it as a tragedy. Meanwhile, Ganesh Khandane (Bala's brother-in-law and also a light man by profession) said that his sister and he are deeply shocked by the incident. He added that they are grateful to Fwice that his brother's body is being flown into Mumbai. Even though they are clueless about what to do after this unfortunate incident, they are planning to demand compensation from Ajay Devgn.

Throwing more light on the untimely incident,...

Deepika Padukone has reportedly rejoined the cast of Race 2. The actor had been threatened with legal action by producer Ramesh Taurani after her unexpected exit from the film. Dharmesh Tiwari from the Cine and TV Artistes' Association, told Mumbai Mirror :"There is no final settlement yet. Deepika has spoken to me. I met her on Wednesday. But yes, we expect this fight to end in the next 48 hours." Padukone has allegedly come up with a set of guidelines for producers to adhere to, following earlier schedule changes and filming delays. "Deepika has (more)...

After series of discussions, finally Deepika Padukone has agreed to patch-up with filmmaker Ramesh Taurani. The actress returns to ‘Race 2’ on her own terms and conditions. Deepika agreed to return on looking at the monetary loss that she had to bear if she walks out of the project. After rounds of discussions, Deepika felt that it would be best on her part if she returns to the film otherwise she has to bear heavy monetary loss. "According to a source present at the meeting, Cintaa general secretary Dharmesh Tiwari asked Deepika to stay away from monetary hassles and allot dates to Taurani," informs a source. When ...

Salman Khan reportedly wants to meet producer Vijay Galani in person to discuss non-payment of fees for Veer. The actor is still to receive his payment for the historical epic, despite sending a legal notice in August 2010, reports Mumbai Mirror. "This is true. We have written to Galani informing him about Salman's complaint," confirmed Dharmesh Tiwari, president of the Federation Of Western Cine Employees. Khan is also said to have contacted the Association of Motion Pictures and TV Programme Producers regarding the case. However, Galani argued that the matter has been resolved, (more)...

Last year Salman Khan had sent a legal notice for non payment of dues amounting to Rs. 15 crores to Veer producer Vijay Galani. But Vijay has not yet paid him the amount and nor has he responded to the notice. Finally, after waiting for more than a year, Salman has now filed a complaint with the Federation Of Western India Cine Employees (Fwice) for the same. But Galani has not even responded to this complain and that has made Salman really furious as he now wants to have a one on one meeting with the producer. The president of Fwice, Dharmesh Tiwari has also written to Association of Motion Pictures & T.V. Programme Producers (Amptpp). Now it is in the hands of Amptpp of which Vijay is a member, to decide what is to be done. The story goes that last year Vijay had asked Salman to slash his fee after Veer flopped,...

Last year Salman Khan had sent a legal notice for non payment of dues amounting to Rs. 15 crores to Veer producer Vijay Galani. But Vijay has not yet paid him the amount and nor has he responded to the notice. Finally, after waiting for more than a year, Salman has now filed a complaint with the Federation Of Western India Cine Employees (Fwice) for the same. But Galani has not even responded to this complain and that has made Salman really furious as he now wants to have a one on one meeting with the producer. The president of Fwice, Dharmesh Tiwari has also written to Association of Motion Pictures & T.V. Programme Producers (Amptpp). Now it is in the hands of Amptpp of which Vijay is a member, to decide what is to be done. The story goes that last year Vijay had asked Salman to slash his fee after Veer flopped,...

Officials of Cine And TV Artistes’ Association’s (Cintaa) have been making regular, uninformed visits to the sets of all primetime dailies to ensure that shoots don’t continue longer than 12 hours. Dharmesh Tiwari of Cintaa confirms the news and says that government regulations don’t permit shooting to extend beyond eight hours. “For TV we want an extra four hours leeway but some production houses, on the pretext of building up an episode bank, shoot for 18 and even 20 hours a day, which is unfair!” grouses Tiwari, saying Cintaa first issues a warning to errant filmmakers, and then barges into ...