Malayalam film industry to go on strike from June 1 onwards

Representational image.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

A joint meeting of the film bodies in the Malayalam film industry on Thursday decided to go on a strike from June 1 onwards demanding an end to the double taxation on movie tickets and a salary cut by the actors in view of the rising cost of film production.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA), Film Employees Federation of Kerala, Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala, and the Kerala Film Distributors Association.

B. Rakesh, secretary of KFPA, said that the entire film business will come to a standstill from June 1 onwards. He said that the industry is staring at a crisis following the dip in box-office collections and soaring pay packet of the actors.

The film bodies will meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan before June 1 to apprise him about the crisis and to place the request to end the double taxation system on movie tickets, which included the Goods and Services Tax and entertainment tax levied by the local bodies. Mr. Rakesh said that the action by the enforcement agencies against piracy has to be stepped up as it had turned a major threat to the industry.

The Malayalam industry has also been facing a crisis with regard to deals with OTT platforms, as even superstar films have struggled to find takers. This had led to postponement of some recent releases.

ALSO READ: Kerala Police seek to get filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s defamatory Facebook posts on woman actor deleted

“Hardly any film is getting sold these days to OTT platforms. Parallel to this situation, the cost of production has skyrocketed, landing producers in a crisis. Why should producers continue to make films bearing losses? Even stars and technicians who are a few films old are demanding huge remuneration after a film turns out to be a hit. These rates cannot be justified. We have not yet spoken to AMMA, as there is no one in the organisation currently,” Film Producers Association vice president G.Suresh Kumar told The Hindu.