Videos of a social and moral nature have become very popular on the YouTube and TikTok platforms, teaching life lessons with inspiring thumbnails. One of the most well-known creators of these types of videos is Dhar Mann, an American film producer and businessman who has his professional production company “Dhar Mann Studios”. He makes short videos that teach life lessons with different stories and scenarios. So you see, this company tries to instill and work with morality, since that is the message they want to convey to their followers. 

“What happens in the dark, always comes to light”, “If you cheat you will never get ahead”, and “Your actions always have a way of coming back to you”. Those are the messages that Dhar Mann Studios promotes. So you would think that a company that values morality as much as Dhar Mann Studios does, the behind-the-scenes and work environment would be much the same…right?

Well, it turns out that this is not the case, since a large majority of the actors who work for Dhar Mann Studios, assure that their boss Dhar is not what he appears to be. “Not a single actor that works at Dhar Mann Studios can afford rent”, that’s what the protesters say, who are the same actors who give life and meaning to the company. So clearly, without them, the company would not be what it is today. And many might think it doesn’t matter if they protest and are fired, he can hire new actors, and that’s it. But it’s not that simple, because these protests are not silent and are perpetuated by the actors with whom the channel started. 

When Dhar Mann first started uploading videos, they were pretty simple and short, but with these actors who have been there since the beginning. The public has grown fond of them, and they are already known for their work at Dhar Mann. They have become important icons of the company and the fact that the audience sees them protesting the negligence of Dhar Mann is going to represent a great loss for him at the fan level and monetarily.

But why are they protesting? The actors have been outraged because they have tried several times to talk to their boss Dhar and get a meeting to talk about their wages, which are very low considering the empire that Dhar Mann Studios has achieved. With 300 million views in a month only and a company that generates a large sum of money, there is no excuse for the actors to be so underpaid. 

Colen A. Borden is one of the actors who has spoken the most about the situation, through his TikTok account. “As an actor at Dhar Mann Studios, I am just a contract player, I have no employment there I am just sort of called now and then, as are all of the other actors. And it is just not sustainable-, one of the main issues is that not a single actor that works at Dhar Mann Studios can afford rent”. That’s the case for the vast majority of actors, and they all feel the same. So everyone came together as a group because there’s a tendency in the company that if you talk, you’re out. They collectively sent a letter, with a copy to the Head of Direction requesting the meeting. They were granted the meeting, but the meeting was postponed many times, and when they were finally able to get it, Dhar Mann did not attend.

They reiterated that they wanted Dhar Mann to be there, but the meeting was pushed back again, and they had to wait a long time. In addition, several actors have been silently fired, such as Jessica Ruthbell, who has appeared in several recent videos. She was fired by email after asking for a meeting with Dhar. No one gives them answers and they are not allowed to speak directly to Dhar. On his Instagram account, Dhar Mann made a statement responding to all this back on February 14. He said the fact that they wanted him to be there was never communicated. He also responded to the low wages, saying that these allegations are not entirely true. He said that his studio currently pays between $33 and $44 per hour for speaking roles. He ensures that these claims and the #ProtestDharMann has a lot of misinformation. “This past week has been a roller coaster of emotions,”. “I’m saddened for those affected by everything going on and for the various misleading stories that have spread.”

A story from Charles Laughlin’s Instagram, adressing how his colleague (Jessica Ruthbell) was fired by email.

Protesters appeared on ABC News and made statements about the issue, but no agreement has ever been reached, nor has there been a solution to the problem. Dhar Mann published on his Instagram account a photo with the actors who did stay with him despite the circumstances. Many think that they are being manipulated to stay in the project because some have not said anything, but others appear to be making statements that were previously coerced or monitored. For example, Jovanna Vidal and Katherine Norland—both actresses from the company—decided to speak up defending Dhar Mann.

Photo published by Dhar Mann with his current team of actors

Given everything, people are starting to no longer believe in the messages that Dhar Mann once promoted. Because, if he’s teaching about morals and human values, shouldn’t he practice them too? It is unfortunate to see the circumstances and how the situation is not given importance, since Dhar Mann continues to upload videos, receiving millions of visits and likes. Everyone acts as if nothing happened, pushing aside the call-outs of all the actors who lost their jobs.

References:

• Nandhini, J. (2023) What happened to Dhar Mann? is Dhar Mann getting canceled? – news, Fresherslive. Fresherslive. Available at: https://www.fresherslive.com/latest/articles/what-happened-to-dhar-mann-is-dhar-mann-getting-canceled-10006901  (Accessed: March 12, 2023). 
• Allen, J. (2023) Actors in Influencer Dhar Mann’s videos went on strike over low wages, Distractify. Distractify. Available at: https://www.distractify.com/p/what-happened-to-dhar-mann-actors  (Accessed: March 12, 2023). 
• Moral video creator Dhar Mann responds to the protest launched by some of his regular actors (2023) Tubefilter. Available at: https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/02/14/protest-dhar-mann-actors-speak-out-moral-videos-response/  (Accessed: March 12, 2023). 
• Actors for popular Burbank-based YouTube channel protest for better wages, work conditions (2023) ABC7 Los Angeles. Available at: https://abc7.com/dhar-mann-studios-youtube-channel-burbank-actor-protest/12816197/ (Accessed: March 12, 2023).