The Telugu cinema industry has been trying to recover since the Covid-19 pandemic, with both big and small producers suffering devastating losses. The bulk of Telugu theatrical releases, with the exception of movies like Pushpa and RRR, have had a lackluster reception at the box office. According to producers, this is mostly because of the introduction of OTT platforms and a lack of interest on the part of the general audience to visit theatres.
The daily wage workers, who have been protesting for a wage increase for the past few months, are bearing the brunt of the box office slump in the business. Over 20,000 workers planned to strike if their requests went unanswered, which would have halted the production of numerous high-profile movies. Recently, the Active Telugu Film Producers Guild (ATFPG) stated that industry-wide filming will temporarily cease until all parties come to an agreement on their differences.
In the latest development, the Telugu Film Trade Council has decided to stop the shooting of the film from August 1, supporting the decision of the producers’ association. Shootings will not take place until an amicable solution is found in the interests of the industry.
Newly elected president of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce Kotha Basi Reddy also announced the decision to halt shootings from August 1. Film Chamber, the Active Telugu Film Producers Guild, the Telugu Film Producers Council, and the all-member panel have agreed in unison to find an expeditious resolution of issues.
Due to this, all the shootings in the movie will be stopped. While many films are already running, there are chances of having a big impact on the shooting of some more films. The shooting of big budget films like Chiranjeevi’s Bhola Shankar and Godfather, Prabhas’ Project K, Vijay Devarakonda’s Kushi and Nandamuri Balakrishna’s NBK107 among many more have been put on hold from August 1 due to the Trade Council’s decision.
Other films left stranded include Dhanush’s Saar, Pawan Kalyan’s movie with director Chris and Ravi Teja’s Ravanasura. The filming of Pushpa 2 was supposed to begin sometime this month but now that seems unlikely as well.
