No one has the power to stop Pawan Kalyan’s film. The news about theaters being closed was wrongly communicated: Prominent Producer Dil Raju
The issue that started in East Godavari was wrongly attributed to Telangana. Thanks to Minister Kandula Durgesh for resolving the situation that had been ongoing for several days
“Thanks to Andhra Pradesh Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh for resolving the situation that had been ongoing for several days. The problem that started in East Godavari was wrongly blamed on Telangana. No one has the courage to stop Pawan Kalyan’s films. Both governments are always positive towards the industry. Let’s communicate our problems to the governments, solve them, and move forward. I hope this issue ends today,” said prominent producer Dil Raju.
Amid the recent situation in the film industry, producer Dil Raju spoke to the media.
At the press meet, producer Dil Raju said: “Greetings to everyone. First of all, thanks to Andhra Pradesh Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh. I’m very happy that the ongoing situation has been resolved. On behalf of the Telugu film industry, as a producer and distributor, I express my gratitude to the Minister. His statement has pacified all tensions. I have arranged this press meet to answer some questions and clarify the real facts without digressing into controversial questions.
On April 19, some exhibitors and distributors from East Godavari district held a meeting. The exhibitors requested a percentage-based revenue-sharing method. Currently, the industry operates on a rent or percentage basis. If revenue is good in the first week, exhibitors receive rent. If collections drop in the second week, they receive a percentage. Exhibitors have some difficulties with this system, which we all understand. They requested a percentage system there. Distributors did not agree. This entire event took place in East Godavari.
At the same time, the release date for ‘Hari Hara Veeramallu’ was announced, which was later postponed for some reasons. After that, the date was not locked. The percentage issue spread from East Godavari to Nizam. In Nizam, there are about 370 single-screen theaters, but including SVCs, we only have 30 theaters. Asian and Suresh companies have 90. 250 theaters are owned and operated by individual owners. The media is writing about ‘those four people’ as they please, so I am clarifying this.
When the percentage issue reached Telangana, exhibitors there brought it to the attention of Shirish. I have been doing business with those exhibitors for 20 years. It is not wrong to ask exhibitors what they want. The chamber meeting was held on May 18. I went there in the last 15 minutes. Without clarity on what happened in the chamber, the media published news that theaters would be closed from June 1. When exhibitors said theaters would be closed from June 1, I advised against it. Everyone there agreed. Exhibitors wrote a letter to the chamber about the percentage issue. The summary there was that if their expectations were not met, they would close theaters. But the news about theaters closing from June 1 went outside. It was wrong not to refute those news reports about exhibitors’ decisions. Later, a distributors’ meeting was held, and they requested theaters to continue from June 1. They said they would give theaters to whoever provides them. Except for the Covid period, in my 30 years of experience, theaters were never closed. Exhibitors want to screen films if they are available. If theaters close, exhibitors themselves will suffer losses.
As producers, we stopped shooting for 56 days but achieved nothing. The news about closing theaters from June 1 had already spread. Later, a producers’ meeting was held. All producers unanimously said exhibitors have problems, and we are thinking about how to solve them. However, we decided theaters should not be closed. We decided to clearly explain this in a joint meeting scheduled on May 24. Meanwhile, the issue diverted attention towards Kalyan’s ‘Hari Hara Veeramallu’ film. No one has the courage or power to stop Kalyan’s film. I have never seen theaters closing in my experience. But the entire issue was wrongly communicated to the government. Minister Durgesh spoke to me, and I clearly explained. It was decided in the joint meeting that theaters would not be closed. Meanwhile, I believe the government was wrongly informed.
On May 30, the movie ‘Bhairavam’ is releasing. On June 5, Kamal Haasan’s film releases; June 12, Pawan Kalyan’s film; and June 20, ‘Kubera’ — a continuous slate of films for the entire month. There are also good films in July. Everyone’s intention is to protect the film industry during this time.
The problem that started with one person in East Godavari was blamed on Telangana. Both governments are very important for the film people. The Chief Minister Revanth Reddy appointed me as FDC Chairman to be a liaison between the film industry and the government. The support Kalyan has given to the film industry is extraordinary. Previously, there was fear about everything, but after Kalyan came, it’s easy to go to the other side, hold papers, and raise ticket prices. We think less about unity, but we all should be united.
We have a distribution office in North Andhra with 20 theaters. I have grown as a producer by making many good films in my 30-year journey. Even now, I constantly think about new ideas. I recently established an AI company called Larven. I announced ‘Dil Raju Dreams’ to use my 30 years of experience to help new talent. That is my intention. I want to make good films and move forward well, helping everyone. Both governments will always be positive towards the industry. Let’s share our problems with the governments, solve them, and move forward. I hope this ends today. Thanks to everyone.”
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