MUMBAI, India (AP) — The glittering lights of Bollywood went dark on Wednesday as more than 100,000 actors, technicians and cameramen went on strike to push for better pay and regulated working hours, bringing a halt to dozens of movies and television productions.

A coalition of 22 unions representing technicians, dancers, lighting experts and other jobs ordered their members not to show up for work , shuttering one of the world's most prolific movie industry indefinitely. More than 200 Hindi-language films are produced every year in Mumbai, home of the film industry known as Bollywood.

"Filming has been cancelled because workers have not reported on sets," said Dinesh Chaturvedi, head of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees. "Workers will not report back for work unless we are paid in time and have better working hours."

The strike could be a major blow to the local economy. Revenue from India's film business generated roughly $2 billion in 2006 and is expected to double by 2012, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers forecast. The strike comes just before the Hindu festival season, which usually sees the industry's biggest films compete for large audiences.

Union officials said some of Bollywood's top stars, including Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, supported the strike and did not work on Wednesday. Calls to the actors' representatives were not immediately returned.

Bollywood movies and television programs from Bollywood are popular among the South Asian diaspora, as well as among non-Hindi speakers in dozens of countries around the world.

While Bollywood films often portray glamorous dance sequences set in exotic destinations, working conditions for background actors and the film crew are notoriously poor. Workers who build movie sets or handle lighting get paid about 500 rupees ($11) for long days of work without overtime.

"As per our agreement with producers, workers are paid for eight hours, but they work far beyond this. They are not paid more money and are not even paid on time," said Chaturvedi.

Ratan Jain, president of the Association of Motion Picture & TV Program Producers, said producers were trying to hammer out a proposal to bring to union representatives.

"The strike is not in anyone's interest," Jain said. "Filming has come to a halt. We will sit down and find a solution."