Tollywood producers such as Y Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers and S Naga Vamsi of Sithara Entertainments today interacted with the media to address the demands made by Telangana exhibitors. They are not in the mood to introduce the percentage-based system immediately.
The Conditions for Reform
For the rental system to be ditched, the producers at Active Producers Guild want the exhibitors to agree to certain conditions: Theatre grading, the systematization of maintenance charges, and online ticket-booking convenience fees.
Y Ravi Shankar made it clear that, much like exhibitors, producers/distributors, too, have their cup of woes. He batted for unity among all stakeholders. He asked where is the urgency to implement the percentage system. "The issue first came up last year ahead of the release of Hari Hara Veera Mallu. After that, it was kept on the backburner. Urgency is being shown suddenly now," the maker of biggies like Pushpa, Dragon, and Fauzi said. He is also backing Ram Charan's Peddi, to be released in 20 days. "Creating a situation of uncertainty at this juncture is not welcome. Some of the concerns raised by the exhibitors are valid. However, we need to deliberate upon their demands to chalk out a structured response. Theatres should be willing to do proper grading, because not every theatre offers the same kind of facilities, and all of them cannot be treated alike. There are screens where toilets are not maintained properly. How can they be put on a par with Hyderabad's Sudarshan Theatre where the projector costs crores? Single-screen theatres, in particular, need infrastructure and facility upgrades," he added.
Poor Content is Worsening the Woes
Naga Vamsi stated that the exhibitors themselves admitted that, due to a lack of strong content, even a popular single-screen cinema hall like the Sreeramulu Theatre in Hyderabad had to be shut down this Summer. "If exhibitors impose conditions at this juncture, it will only discourage producers further and reduce the quantity of films that will be made. That ultimately benefits no one," the producer of recent movies such as Anaganaga Oka Raju and Funky stated.
The Deadline Dilemma: Impact on Films Under Production
Vamsi is particularly against the May-end deadline set by the exhibitors. "Among the producers present here, there are at least 25 films that are more than 50% complete. Among them are both small and big-budget projects. We have already spent 70–80% of our budgets on these films. Introducing a new system at this stage would not be fair, and we cannot accept such a policy for projects already under production," he reasoned, adding that the percentage-based model will be considered for implementation for future projects.
Naga Vamsi, whose Viswanath & Sons, EPIC, Lenin, VISA and Alcohol are up for release later this year, said, "At yesterday's presser, a major exhibitor who owns around 300 multiplex screens was present. Hearing someone of his stature bat for the struggles of single-screen theatres felt ironic, especially when multiplex expansion itself has affected the revenues of many single screens. He and other exhibitors have said that other States in the country follow a percentage-sharing system. But the reality is that the exhibition sector in many of those states is not in a good position. In comparison, we are actually in a better position," Vamsi said.
One-Sided Narratives are not Welcome:
Producer Sahu Garapati of Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu fame described the presser by the Telangana exhibitors as "one-sided". He wondered why they went to the town with their issues when the Film Chamber was already seized of the matter. He found fault with the exhibitors for declaring that they wouldn't sell tickets at increased prices even if the government were to permit it. "Why go against the government?" Sahu asked. "Every film is Tollywood's. Only if movies run well can all of us who depend on the film industry survive. Treating one film differently from others is not correct," Sahu added.
Producer Sudhakar Cherukuri said, “Everyone in the industry knows who has been handling film distribution in Telangana for the last 20 years. If exhibitors were truly being treated unfairly, why has this concern surfaced only now? Even for the recent Sankranti releases, permissions were obtained for higher ticket prices. Given that, is it really fair for the same people to now take a completely different stand and speak this way?”
