The Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Telugu film industry which were at odds till recently on various issues, particularly the pricing of cinema tickets, appear to have sorted out the differences amicably going by ‘Megastar’ Chiranjeevi’s statement that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy positively responded to the concerns raised by various stakeholders in Tollywood. He said a G.O. was likely to be issued before the end of February and it would bring good news for all.
Addressing media persons after havingthe much-awaited discussions with the Chief Minister along with Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, S.S. Rajamouli, Koratala Siva, Ali, Posani Krishna Murali and R. Narayana Murthy here on Thursday, Mr. Chiranjeevi said it was mutually agreed to provide scope for low-budget films to flourish and to shoot films in the State, especially Visakhapatnam, on a much larger scale.
He said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy gave his nod for the fifth show keeping in view the need to extend support to small budget movies. The Chief Minister also promised to enable big budget films to consolidate their standing in the international arena.
Mr. Mahesh Babu said the Telugu film industry was in a state of confusion for the last six to seven months for various reasons and that the current assurances came as a big relief, for which he thanked the Chief Minister and Mr. Chiranjeevi for taking the initiative to put an end to the crisis.
Director Rajamouli said he was amazed by Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s understanding of the problems faced by Tollywood and was grateful to him for throwing his weight behind the film industry at this crucial juncture.
Mr. Prabhas expressed a similar sentiment and hoped that the film industry would quickly overcome the problems that crippled it for quite some time.
Mr. Narayana Murthy observed that small-budget movies were like those in an ICU and hence desperately required the government’s hand-holding and also support of the Tollywood biggies to withstand the dominance of films made with massive budgets.
Minister for Cinematography Perni Venkataramaiah said the Chief Minister stressed the need for Telugu film industry to develop in Andhra Pradesh on an equal footing with Telangana and promised all the facilities that would make it possible.
The Chief Minister suggested that ways to ensure the survival of low-budget films should be worked out, to which the delegation replied in the affirmative.
