The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has reiterated its demand for strict action against filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali following the reported death of a worker on the sets of Love & War. The latest statement comes immediately after reports suggested that AICWA President Suresh Gupta had written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking the registration of an FIR against Bhansali, a compensation of Rs. 1 crore for the deceased worker’s family, and a high-level inquiry into the incident.
According to reports, carpenter Chandradhari Singh Yadav, 42, allegedly died after suffering an electric shock during the shooting of the film in the early hours of June 17, 2026. He is survived by his wife and two young daughters. Addressing the incident, AICWA President Suresh Gupta alleged that the death resulted from a failure to maintain adequate safety measures on the film set.
Referring to the incident, Gupta said, “On 17th June, 2026, on the set of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Love & War, one of our workers dies. He is 42 years old, he has two young daughters, his wife. On that day, around 1.30 or 2 in the night, this incident happened. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a big producer and filmmaker. And that worker died because of him. Because of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his production, he lost his life. If he had followed all safety norms on the set that day, the worker would have been among us.”
Gupta further claimed that similar incidents had allegedly taken place during the production of Bhansali’s previous films. “This is not the first incident of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In his film, Devdas, he took two lives on the set. He took two lives because he didn’t follow safety norms. Then in 2016, Padmaavat happened. On that set, another worker died. Then in 2026, now, another worker died. On their set, four deaths have happened again and again.”
Explaining why the association has sought criminal action, Gupta added, “That’s why, we had asked the AICW to file a murder case against Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He was murdering them. ‘Four workers are losing their lives on your set. And still, instead of shooting and learning your lesson, you are continuously murdering the workers on the set’. You don’t follow safety norms. Today, go and ask that worker’s family, who has two younger daughters and a wife what they feel.”
He concluded by stressing the need for stronger safety standards for workers in the film industry and shared, “You won’t hear the news that a big producer died on the set or a big actor died. You will hear it every time that a worker died. Why do workers die every time? Because they don’t give safety to the workers to save money. That’s why we had asked the AICW to file a murder case against Sanjay Leela Bhansali and take strict action by registering an FIR for the same. That’s what we had asked.”
At the time of publishing, there has been no official response from Sanjay Leela Bhansali or his production team regarding the latest remarks made by AICWA President Suresh Gupta. The matter remains under scrutiny following the reported incident on the sets of Love & War.
Also Read: Love & War set tragedy: Worker dies after alleged electric shock; Bhansali Productions offers Rs 40 lakhs as compensation
