Now this is interesting. MLEVI was a locally produced, black and white film in Swahili that was hugely popular since its release in 1968!.
By 1971 word in the streets was that the producers Ragbir Singh, and Kenya Film Corporation had made lots of money while the actors had been paid very low wages!!
So in October 1971 one member of parliament demanded to know how much money MLEVI made since 1969 (see hansard below), how much money KFC made as distributor and more importantly how much money was paid to the local actors!!
The mp did not get far in getting answers. The Assistant Minister of Information and Broadcasting said as the producer Ragbir Singh and his company African Producers was a local private company it was not possible to know the revenue and profits!! The Assistant Minister refused to divulge how much the government distributor Kenya Film Corporation made, essentially saying that would place KFC at a competitive disadvantage.
Even more frustrating for the mp was that the Assistant Minister said it was not right for the government to find out the details of a private agreement between the producers, that is, a private company and the actors, and that it was for the actors to assure themselves that their money they made was justified!!
The speaker of the house then intervened and refuted the mp's conclusion that the Assistant Minister had said the actors should take the producers to court!!
This reminds me of Sean Connery who was paid only $30,000 to make the first James Bond movie Dr No before anyone knew it was going to be a blockbuster. He was paid close $1m for the last Bond movie he acted in Diamonds are Forever!! Lucky are the actors who manage to negotiate a percentage of the revenue!!
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