Actors, producers, and other industry stakeholders react to TFPC’s move to halt films from Nov. 1
An air of uncertainty has descended upon Tamil cinema, unlike anything since the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown. On Monday, the Tamil Film Producers’ Council (TFPC) released a statement on regulations to be implemented in how films are to be produced and released in Tamil Nadu.
The announcement mandated an eight-week streaming release window for big-star films; prevented actors from taking on new projects before completing their prior commitments; called for a temporary halt to the commencement of new films from August 16 to resolve the situation of multiple films being stuck in the can; and called a halt to all film-related activities from November 1, this year, to implement measures to regularise actors’ remuneration.
The statement also alleged Dhanush to have received advance payments from several producers, and that producers are to consult the council before commencing their films with the actor. The governing body’s six-pointer statement and the mention of Dhanush have sent ripples wide and far.
On Tuesday, several members of the South Indian Artistes Association, including actor and Treasurer Karthi, and actor and Vice President Poochi S, Murugan, condemned the Council for not including them in the discussions before releasing the statement. “We have been taking measures to solve the issues that the Producers Council had previously stated, and hence, it’s shocking that they have released the same without consulting us with a complaint about the concerns,” said Karthi.
Meanwhile, stakeholders have raised concerns about how the regulations will be implemented. Actor Shanthnu Bhagyaraj believes that a strike of this scale would drastically affect the thousands of members of the Film Employees Federation of South India and their families. “High-end technicians and top actors can manage if their shoots get deferred, but what about the daily wagers? Or, the character artists who unlike big stars do multiple projects at once?”
However, actor-producer J. Sathish Kumar believes such drastic measures are needed when the situation is so dire. “There’s no guarantee for the producer on the money invested. On one hand, many films rely solely on theatrical revenue; satellite and digital rights aren’t finding good deals for even films of A-listers and B-listers. On the flip side, the remuneration of the actors has gone soaring up and there’s no cap on the production costs of film,” says Sathish, while pointing out how the short streaming-release window is affecting business from theatres.
The move to call for a halt on the commencement of new projects until August 16, according to Sathish, is a message to not dump the industry with films. “There are more than 250 unreleased films. So what’s the point of commencing new films when many are still struggling to find a release?”
Shanthnu raises concerns about how small producers might deal with the request to complete their film shooting by October 30. “Producers undergo a lot of trouble to source finance and invest in their productions. With a deadline like this, how would small producers — who usually procure funds in smaller denominations to meet their immediate expenses — do to procure funds?” asks Shanthnu.
Both Shanthnu and Sathish believe that regulations are needed on how streaming platforms are dictating the film business. Sathish says that it’s unfair for OTTs to selectively buy films. This has led to a situation where the supply is more than the demand and that the flow of business was smoother pre-OTT, says Shanthnu. “To keep enough content in their bank, these corporations bought all films at a profitable rate, giving hope to the producers that they need not depend solely on theatres. But just when the producers were grateful for that hope, the streaming platforms began refusing to buy their films,” adds Shanthnu.
Pointing out how the OTT-led business model, and the growing cost of entertainment in theatres due to multiplexes’ taking over single screens, the actor hopes the Producers Council would focus more on boosting the theatre business of films.
What the proposed halt on shooting films after November 1 would cause remains uncertain, but Ruban Mathivanan, owner of GK Cinemas, Chennai, assures that this wouldn’t affect theatres or audiences in any way, at least until the end of the year. “There are ample films set to release till next year, and hopefully all stakeholders would find a solution by then.” Welcoming the eight-week streaming-release window for big-star films, Ruban says that such a move was always necessary for smaller films to see some success in theatres.
“With negotiations happening as we speak,” Sathish says, “there’s a chance the issues might get resolved even before a strike. It’s not in our hands; it all depends upon how mutually all the stakeholders find a solution.”
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