No screening of films in 5 states from today

Hyderabad: It has been more than a decade, when bigwigs of Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam film industries have shown unity and resolved to down shutters of 5,000-odd theatres across five southern states from March 2. 

"Every filmmaker has suffered in the hands of Digital Service Providers for the last five years and this unity shows the strength of producers, exhibitors and distributors of five states," says Ravi Kottarakara of South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.

Elaborating further, leading producer and exhibitor Suresh Babu adds "Actually, these monopolistic digital service providers are killing regional cinema. They are charging southern filmmakers more than Hindi and English films, which has to end at all costs. 

They keep collecting instalments from exhibitors for projectors even after five years, although the cost is recovered. Exorbitant rentals of Rs 28,000 per week per theatre and downloading charges of Rs 11,800 per week even for a small film, has made digital service providers rich and richer.

Enough is enough, is the mood among all the 5,000-odd exhibitors. Let us down shutters and lose, than suffer the exploitation of digital projector providers," he adds. Tamil star Vishal and Tamil film industry believes that "despite earning thousands of crores in the last five years at the expense of producers, exhibitors and distributors, they are in no mood to cut rates and charges and want to fill their pockets forever."

Similarly, even relatively smaller industries like Kannada and Malayalam industries have also joined the campaign to safeguard small and regional cinema. "Small and regional cinema is worst sufferer in the hands of projector-providers who charge same amount for big and small film, despite knowing that small southern films are made for Rs 80 lakhs to Rs 1 crore, whereas a superstar film is made with Rs 60 crore, but no change in rates, which is unethical," rues PVG Gangadharan of Malayalam film industry.

As a new twist to the stalemate, TS government has come forward to the help Telugu filmmakers in a big way. "TRS government has realised the exploitation and assured the producers installation of digital projectors at half-of-existing-cost in 500-odd theatres in the State which has come as a blessing in disguise for Telugu film fraternity," concludes producer Radha Rajeswari.