The AICWA has made its position known to the likes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali: file an FIR and come up with more money after a loss of life on the Love & War set. They are putting down the production house’s Rs 40 lakh offer and want a full crore for the family, while at the same time making a case for safety overhauls on sets across Maharashtra.
What set this off
On 17th June 2026, a 42-year-old carpenter was found dead at Film City in Mumbai, reportedly from an electric shock. He is Chandrabhan Singh Yadav, though you may have seen him called Chandradhari Singh Yadav in some reports.
According to the AICWA, this didn’t have to happen. Suresh Shyamlal Gupta, the union’s president, has no time for what he sees as rule-breaking by Bhansali and his team. “Proper precautions would have kept him alive,” he says. (Love & War, for those who need a refresher, has Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in it.)
Gupta put it in a video that has been making the rounds: he holds Bhansali to account for the death, wants a real look-see into the matter, and won’t let go of the compensation issue.
Where the AICWA is drawing a line
This is more than an appeal; the union is after accountability. They’ve put pen to paper and sent a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to make a formal case against Bhansali, his company and anyone else on the hook.
Put simply, here is the AICWA’s list of must-dos:
– An FIR with names on it
– A look at the murder and culpable homicide side of things
– An inquest into the carelessness on set
– One crore rupees to the family
– No filming until we know the set is in order
– An independent, top-down probe
– Safety checks for every set in the state
Gupta has not minced words, labelling the incident a murder and saying a fire and safety review is in order before you can even think of shooting again. That said, the association will let the investigators have the last word on any charges.
Looking at the track record
AICWA doesn’t see this in a vacuum. Gupta has pointed to past trouble on Bhansali’s films – two on Devdas, one on Padmaavat. He makes the point that this is the fourth fatality to be linked to the director, so don’t call it an anomaly.
Then there is the rest of the industry to consider. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees is in on it too, asking for better conditions and a hike to Rs 50 lakh for workers who are put in for 16 or 18 hours at a time. Their take is plain: you can’t put on a show if the floor isn’t safe.
How the industry is seeing it
Bhansali Productions has put forward Rs 40 lakh for the family. AICWA has some of that, but says it is not enough to put the wife and two daughters in a good place, and is holding out for the crore.
It is a matter of more than just face for producers now. If the union has its way, you can expect insurance, checklists and audit dates to be a lot harder to get around. You might even see some film schedules put on hold for a while.
Now it is up to the police and the regulators. AICWA has asked them to pursue the angles of murder and homicide, but will leave the final say to the inquiry.
In the days ahead
As the talking points get louder, keep an eye on these:
– What the police make of the criminal side of it
– How much the family will end up with
– When and how the safety audits will be done
– If Love & War has to change its plans
You could be a fan of the movie and the stars and still not give this a second thought. But for the thousands of workers below the line, it is right in their faces. This is about whether or not you can walk onto a set without worrying for your life, and the union is making sure that is no longer up for debate.
