Telugu Producers Hurt, To Go On Strike?

The producers of Tollywood have now fallen into a helpless situation where they face many difficulties in making films, especially in this post-pandemic era. With the emergence of OTT platforms, the life span of a film has come down in theatres, and the producers are forced to release them on OTT in less than a month of the theatrical release. The footfalls at the theatres were also reduced. The cost of making is going up, and the return of investment is coming down. The Active Telugu Film Producers Guild met today to discuss all these issues and discussed going on a strike.

Going more into the details, we hear that the Active Telugu Film Producers Guild met today to discuss multiple challenges in filmmaking. Despite a polite and humble request from the producers to cut down on the remunerations, most of the actors kept demanding big bucks. Not just star heroes but some character artists also hiked their fees unevenly in the post-pandemic period.

Last month, over 20,000 workers belonging to 24 different crafts in the Telugu film industry resorted to a strike to demand better wages from producers. With this sudden call for a strike, multiple films which are in production were stopped, and the producers faced losses. Considering all these recent developments, some members of the guild opined, “What if we go on a strike?”

Active Telugu Film Producers Guild has been formed to improve film production efficiency through self-regulation and collaboration. The guild is in the opinion that the cost of film-making will come down if they stop the production of films for a while. If the producers go on strike, the film industry will stop functioning. In such a situation, all those demanding huge money from producers will automatically step back on their unreasonable demands.

The guild plans to have a word with the producers whose films are currently in production mode. The guild wants to ensure that its latest decision will not affect the films under production. A final meeting will be held in a couple of days, after which a decision on going a strike will be made.