What Did AP CM YS Jagan Say in The Meeting With TFI?

10 Feb, 2022 18:15 IST|Sakshi Post

AP CM YS Jagan meeting with Tollywood celebrities

Key Things Discussed in AP CM Jagan Meeting With Tollywood Celebrities | AMARAVATI: In a first of its sort, Tollywood's celebrities met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to discuss the movie ticket prices and other issues related to the film industry on Thursday.

A nine-member delegation led by Chiranjeevi, where actors Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, directors SS Rajamouli, Koratala Siva, actor Ali, R Narayana Murthy, Posani Krishnamurali, producer Niranjan Reddy, Mahi Raghava, and other celebrities met the Chief Minister in the CM Camp office at 11 AM on Thursday. AP I & PR, Cinematography Minister Perni Venkatramaiah (Perni Nani), CS Dr Sameer Sharma, Home Secretary Kumara Vishwajit, I&PR Commissioner, FDC MD T Vijaykumar Reddy and other senior officials were present in the meeting which lasted for more than two hours.

Speaking in the meeting with the TFI delegation AP CM YS Jagan said:

- For the past few months we have been engaged in an exercise to come up with a good policy so that justice can be done to big films and small films. As a part of this, we are considering the requests of all stakeholders and a committee has also been appointed on this. The committee has also been meeting frequently and sharing their feedback with me.

- We have invited you to know more and in detail about the shortcomings in the film industry and correct them. The endeavour is to create a better system for the film industry to stand upon. We have discussed the point about having a uniform rate for all movies whether big or small and Chiranjeevi and I sat down together and discussed this issue extensively for a long time.We have tried to bring in good prices so that justice can be done to all.

- There are also some big-budget movies that can be made in terms of the value of production without considering the remuneration given to the hero, heroines, and the director. Rajamouli is an expert in making such films. These kinds of films should be looked at separately. If we do not look at them with special emphasis no one will come forward to make such huge films involving the latest technology, innovation, and at such high costs. We should give treat these films in a special way and that too when they are made with a large budget of Rs 100 crore and more while putting aside the remuneration given to the hero, heroine, and director. We should notify special rates for a whole week for such kind of big-budget films.

- A certain percentage should be allocated for promoting shootings in the state in order to promote film shootings. If we can bring in such a rule that shootings should be done here, shootings will increase here too. Perni Nani has spoken to the directors and producers about the minister's name about this aspect. After taking their views, he stated that at least 20 percent was being considered.

- As far as rates are concerned they are the same for everyone. We have seen that selling tickets online is good for the government and good for the film producers as well. It was also discussed that there should be balance in the situation of having to compete with OTTs. Amazon charges Rs 1000 per year and that is an average of Rs Rs 80 per month. We had discussed the same issue at length with Chiranjeevi.

- Also, if the minimum profit is not made there could be a situation where the production of films might be reduced. We want to work towards establishing reasonable rates with an idea of how to balance that too and make movies. We have modified the rates so that the film industry can thrive without burdening the movie-going audience.

-We were asked to bring the idea of having the fifth show as well. We have understood the point that a movie is considered a super hit when it is released on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and at the same time it should apply to everyone. The same rates should also apply to small budget films for them to get profits. Having a fifth show will benefit the industry and Multiplexes will also treat them with appropriate rates.

- In order to move forward the film industry must take steps to move to Visakhapatnam. We will allot lands in Visakhapatnam and we would want you to slowly shift your focus here too. Andhra Pradesh contributes more to the film industry than Telangana. Telangana contributes 35 to 40 percent while Andhra is contributing up to 60 percent. Just as AP has a large population, a large audience, and a large number of theaters, AP is also high in terms of revenue. We will allot lands for those interested in setting up studios in Visakhapatnam. We will also allot housing sites. Let's create something similar to an area like Jubilee Hills. Visakhapatnam is one of the biggest cities in AP and has a lot of potential to flourish. It can compete with Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. We have to own it, and if not today within ten or fifteen years Vizag can compete with the larger cities. SS Rajamouli should make big films, at the same time the interests of the small films should also be protected.Let us work together in this direction.

-There should be a balance needed to protect the short films right here and we want the industry to take appropriate steps for this. As we all know that films released during the festive season click and we want the small filmmakers also to be given a chance and not feel left out of the opportunity. A balance is needed and we have to work together formulating a plan for this as they are also part of the industry. Small filmmakers should also be made part of this.