The Hindu Business Line : Small film producers in a quandary

Hyderabad, June 3 Small-time film producers and directors are at a loss as to where to show their films, with a handful of production houses aggregating a majority of cinema theatres in Andhra Pradesh under their management.

Suresh Productions, promoted by Mr D. Rama Naidu, Geeta Arts (Allu Aravind), and Siri Media (Dasari Narayana Rao) reportedly taking a majority of theatres on lease across the State.

There are about 2,500 film theatres in the State.

“They (the aggregators) have destroyed the exhibition system in the State. It has become a difficult task for small players to exhibit their films,” a senior exhibitor, on condition of anonymity, told Business Line.

“Of the 28 theatres in Kurnool, Suresh Productions controls 13.

“You can imagine the situation in other towns,” he said. The producers of ‘Batukamma’, a low-budget film made on the issues related to land acquisition, found it difficult to look for theatres to screen the movie.

As it picked up, exhibitors showed interest in the film and started asking for prints.

Mr E.V.V. Satyanarayana, a film director, felt that the lease system (on weekly basis) should go.

“Let the films run on their own strength. The lease rates have become prohibitive for small-time producers.

The increased cost of production makes the situation still worse,” he said.

Mr Sivanageswara Rao, a director, too echoed his view.

“The producers hardly get anything,” he said.

Asked about aggregation of theatres by a few production houses, Mr Tammareddy Bharadwaja, President of Producers’ Council in AP Film Chamber of Commerce, said it all depended on the content.

“Have a good theme and make a good film. It will sell. We should work on better content.

That, actually, holds the key,” he said, discounting the fears.

Simultaneously, the Telugu film industry is witnessing another trend.

Corporate majors such as Adlabs and Pyramid Saimira, too, are increasing their chain of cinemas across the State.

However, Mr Tushar Dhingra, Chief Operating Officer, Adlabs Exhibition, made it clear that their effort to increase the network in the State was not to block someone’s effort.

“We are going to play our own fare. We don’t lease them out to others.

In fact, we are too willing to help out some one with good proposals,” he clarified, when attention was drawn to the apprehensions of aggregation of cinemas in the State.

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