Amid ongoing tensions in Telugu cinema, producers are preparing to appeal to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against what they describe as “the Federation’s monopoly.” T Prasanna Kumar, General Secretary of the Telugu Film Producer Council, confirmed that “we have prepared all the documents to move the CCI to New Delhi, and our representatives are already there.”
Kumar noted that a similar challenge surfaced in 2017 when the CCI questioned the Federation’s restrictive rules that prevent non-members from working in films. He added, “We will again make the Chamber a party in this case and demand that producers be allowed to hire workers of their choice without any hassles.”
The producers also raised concerns over the Federation’s condition that local “fighters” (stunt professionals) must be hired even if an equal number are flown in from Mumbai. “We end up paying local fighters even if they don’t work. Out of the 25,000 workers in the Federation, only about 50% are getting jobs,” Kumar said.
Producers view this as part of broader inflexibility in working arrangements. “We hope they will soon accept the Chamber’s proposals for a nine-hour shift and other proposals. The demand for extra pay for dual-language shoots should also be scrapped, since they already earn double wages if working hours are extended,” he added.
The dispute forms part of a larger conflict over wage hike, union demands, and industry labour practices. Producers insist their moves are aimed not at undermining protections but at offering alternatives within a legal framework. As the battle unfolds, stakeholders across Tollywood remain watchful for resolutions that could reshape hiring norms and labour dynamics in the regional film industry.