We need guidelines: Thammareddy Bharadwaja

Senior producer and former president of the Telugu Film Producers' Council, Thammareddy Bharadwaja said film producers would withraw the ongoing strike only after the industry sets up guidelines for the directors on how many days the movie should be shot in, how many hours should actors be on the sets, etc. The producer was talking about various issues in the industry, including increasing movie budgets, fight between the stuntmen of the Telugu and Chennai film industries and pay cuts. "The producers went on strike because they are frustrated with increasing movie budgets. The directors are now taking years to shoot films and it is acceptable for a few films like Magadheeraor Arundhati because they are visual treats. Movies like Kaleja and Komaram Puli would have been hits, if they were made in a short time. But they were made in two years, so budgets escalated, leaving the producer in loss," he said. "It is all right if the director is working on the script for years. But once the movie hits the floors, it shouldn’t take years to make. Directors cost producers huge amounts of money due to lack of planning. Producers want directors to finish movies in a three-month time period. It will reduce movie budgets by 40%," he added. Thammareddy Bharadwaja insisted that there should be guidelines on the days of shooting and the guidelines need to be put on paper.