Kamal Ghorui
With actor-turned-politician Vijay officially taking charge as Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, Kollywood is placing high hopes, as many believe that as an insider, he understands the issues the industry is dealing with. We spoke to a cross section of the stakeholders in the Tamil film industry on what they expect from the new CM…‘Five shows a day and flexible ticket rates’Distributor Karthik Ravivarma raises demands around show timings and ticket pricing. “Flexible ticket rates are important. The current process, where producers need to give permission letters to the Government for special shows, should be removed, and five shows should be allowed on all days, including screenings up to 2am. Only then can theatres sustain themselves. If a film runs over three hours, it becomes difficult to schedule five shows unless timings are extended.” He also adds that Tamil Nadu needs a film city like Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad with updated technology and infrastructure.‘A fairer film distribution system and subsidies’Actress and filmmaker Semmalar Annam points out that smaller films continue to struggle for visibility and theatre access. She opines, “Big films easily get wide distribution, while smaller films sometimes don’t get distributed at all. That needs to change. It should be an equal opportunity for all films.”Producer G Dhananjheyan also calls for better institutional support for smaller films, including subsidies and faster recognition through State awards. “The State Government subsidy pending from 2015 to 2025 (11 years) must be finalised, enhanced to ₹10 lakh per film and given to worthy small-budget films, at least 15 to 20 per year.”“Also, the State Government awards must be finalised for the period 2023 to 2025 and announced before the end of 2026. It should become a practice to give these awards by April/May every year, so that the winners immediately benefit from such an honour,” he states, adding, “The Local Body Entertainment Tax (LBET) at 4% must be totally abolished, as Tamil Nadu is the only State where this State Tax is charged on movie tickets.”Industry calls for anti-piracy teamPiracy remains another major concern for the industry. Referring to Jana Nayagan’s leak, Dhananjheyan says stronger systems are urgently needed. “A separate anti-piracy team should be established to go against the piracy of any film with the involvement of the film industry. Then, what happened with Jana Nayagan will not happen again,” he states.Theatre owners seek OTT regulation and policy reformsCT Valliappan of Kamala Cinemas believes Vijay’s understanding of the film business could help restore balance between theatres and streaming platforms. “Vijay is from the film industry, and I strongly feel that he will do everything to help the film business. He knows films earn the most when they are released in the theatres. Therefore, he should find ways to ensure that producers don’t cut the golden goose by taking the OTT route too early. Regulating the OTT release window is of great importance for the long-term earnings of films,” he says.P Dinesh Kumar of Madurai-based Guru Cinemas says exhibitors are hoping for policy changes that make running theatres more sustainable. “We want the approval to use theatre venues for multi-purpose events such as cricket screenings, stand-up shows and wedding functions. Also, a revision of the business terms between producers and theatre owners that are beneficial for both, including revisions on TMC and tax will help.”
Poll
Do you agree that Tamil Nadu needs a film city like Ramoji Film City?
‘More drama theatres and film institutes across Tamil Nadu’ Up-and-coming actor Krish Hassan hopes the government will focus on preserving traditional art forms like drama through films. “By establishing more drama theatres and film institutes across Tamil Nadu, and not just in Chennai, and including these art forms in training, we can ensure they continue to live through generations.”‘Welfare measures for daily-wage workers’Actor Mahat Raghavendra says the government should lend stronger support to daily-wage workers, small producers and emerging talent working in films. He says, “Welfare schemes can be implemented for people working behind the camera. There are also producers who have invested heavily in films, but are unable to release them due to OTT-related challenges or other factors. If there could be measures to support small producers and rising actors, it would be great.”
