HYDERABAD: T Venkatesh Yadav, a native of Bhongir in Nalgonda district, took his first steps into the film industry on Sunday with the shooting of his yet-to-be named movie, based on the novel Anaitikam of Yandamuri Veerendhra Nath, being formally launched here at Rama Naidu Studios. The opening saw many Telanganites congratulating Yadav on producing a movie at a time when the growing feeling is that the industry is dominated by Andhra producers. But perhaps, the timing of Yadav’s entry with `2 crore in hand is wrong. What with film producers and employees in the four southern states at loggerheads over the latter’s demand for a 30 to 50 per cent hike in their wages. With the producers not ready to oblige, they have decided to not to produce any movie from November 1 and to finish all the current shootings before the end of October. The producers have decided not to allow the start of any new movie from Monday onwards. So, in a way, Yadav is lucky and hopes to finish his movie by November. “I too heard of the latest controversy over increase of wages,” Yadav told Express after the muhurat shot of movie. “The wages for film workers are very high. Of the `2 crore budget, around `70 lakhs will be spent on workers’ wages,” he said and added, “I am now in a hurry to complete my film by October end and plan to finish the movie in two schedules.”On the first day of the launch of his movie itself, Yadav observed that the first two hours of the call-sheet is wasted on arrangements. “But if the day’s shooting is delayed by half-an-hour, the workers demand extra money. The wages are too high and the demand for satellite rights has also decreased. I doubt is I will get back my investment back,” Yadav said.These problems are not inherent only to debutantes like Yadav. Most big producers in all the four southern states are also against the steep hike in wages demanded by the employees. To discuss the wage issue, the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce held a meeting in Chennai on Sunday where producers from all four states - Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala - met and decided on not allowing the start of any production after September 5. The producers will also meet Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday to represent their case.There was also a discussion on giving giving wages in two categories. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, which mostly produce big budget movies, should pay higher wages to employees, whereas low budget movie makers in Kerala and Karnataka should pay lesser wages. “We will abide by whatever decision taken by the South Indian Film Chamber,” Natti Kumar, Producer Sector Chairman of AP Film Chamber of Commerce (APFCC) told Express over phone from Chennai.Tollywood had been hit badly in the last one year as film workers were on strike for over 45 days in two schedules. Their demand then too was an increase in wages. After a prolonged strike, film makers in the state, who feared that a delay in production would lead to budget shortfall, hiked the salaries of some of the workers by 30 per cent. This angered the producers in Tamil Nadu.“The film producers were paying the hike in principle. APFCC is still to enter into an official agreement with us,” said Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao, president of the AP Film Industry Employees Federation.If the AP Chamber decides to implement the South Indian Chamber’s decision, the producers in state are unlikely to officialise the deal. But such an impasse would lead to another strike by employees. “If the producers fail to make an official agreement honouring their earlier commitment, we have no other option but to strike work again,” warned Venkateswara Rao.
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