Veteran producer and former president of Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, C Kalyan on Sunday said that Chiranjeevi is closely following the ongoing strike in the Telugu film industry and is working to mediate a solution between producers and film employees.
Speaking to the media after a meeting with Chiranjeevi, Kalyan said, “We have met Chiranjeevi today who has been following us up every day to resolve the issue. Tomorrow the Federation of Employees will be meeting him. Producers are also under a lot of problems. Small producers are suffering a lot.”
He noted that the discussions centre around workers’ demands for higher wages and related issues. “Chiranjeevi said he will speak with the Film Employees tomorrow. Film Chamber President Bharat is also working hard to resolve the issue. Here the tariff is high for the employees compared to other states. Chiranjeevi, as a respected and revered person in the industry, is trying to do justice to both sides while resolving the issue,” Kalyan said, adding that he believed the matter would be solved soon.
Kalyan argued that producers already extend support beyond statutory requirements. “According to the Labour Department rules, there is no need to provide meals. But the producers are also providing meals by bearing the expenses. Out of 300 films released every year, only 60 are big. There is never unity between small and big producers,” he said.
Producer Radha Mohan, who also addressed the media, said that proposals were already put before workers. “Our opinion is that the problem in the industry is not being addressed properly by the media and the association members. We have put four proposals before the workers. Of these, two were accepted in 2022 itself. Now, in addition to implementing those two, we are requesting that two more proposals be accepted. Producers are never against the workers. The situation in the industry is not good at present. The workers should also understand and cooperate with us.”
Negotiations between the two sides remain ongoing, with a resolution expected in the coming days.
