Film Industry to felicitate Karunanidhi on September 23

The Tamil film industry will felicitate Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at a glittering -star-studded function on Sept. 23 at the Nehru Indoor Stadium.

Announcing this at a media conference, Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council (TFPC) president Ramanarayanan and Tamil Film Directors Association (TFDA) president S.A. Chandrasekhar said that this is a thanksgiving gesture on our part for our Chief Minister who has announced a package of exemptions and concessions for the industry.

A special memento will be presented to the Chief Minister at the function which will be climaxed by a variety entertainment programme organized by TFPC, TFDA, South India Artistes Association, Film Employees Federation of South India, South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, South Indian Small Screen Producers Guild, Distributors Association and the Theatre Owners Association and other film bodies.

The artistes will perform live on stage. Shootings scheduled for Sept. 23 are being called off to make sure full participation in what is described as the 'spectacular show.'

The Tamil film industry was literally taken by surprise by the concessions announced by the Karunanidhi Government in its first budget after voted back to office in the May 2006 elections. The budget was presented on July 23 - a day after the unveiling of the statue of the film icon Sivaji Ganesan on the Marina.

The packages announced include:

·Waiver of entertainment tax for films with Tamil titles.

·Grant of Rs. 95 lakhs for the production of the proposed biographical film "Periyar".

·Offer of Rs.10 lakhs for dubbing the English film 'Ambedkar' into Tamil.

·Renaming of the Film and Television Institute in Chennai after MGR, and

·Slashing of the charges for shooting on government property.

It is significant that the industry itself had not placed any demands before the DMK Government. Reacting to the package announced in the budget, AVM Saravanan said, "Even though no demands were placed before the Chief Minister, our problems have received his attention and he has provided relief with personal affection. ''

These concessions are seen in general as Mr. Karunanidhi's bid to divest his arch rival Jayalalatha of the image of being the 'real friend' of the film industry; she had been felicitated by the industry at a grand function attended by the leading film personalities, including superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan in Chennai last year for having announced several steps to help revive the industry which was virtually on the brink. Her Government's crackdown on video piracy in particular was significant which went a long way in encouraging new film productions in the State, besides discouraging video piracy.

After coming to power again, DMK chief Karunanidhi seized the first opportunity to upstage his political rival.

Commenting on the new concessions, the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce said the DMK Government had given a 'new lease of life' to the industry by waiving the entertainment tax on films with pure Tamil names.

Mr. Ramanarayanan, president of the Tamil Film Producers Council, has thanked the Chief Minister for the new measures announced in the budget.

Chennai City Film Exhibitors Association president Abirami Ramanathan said the entertainment tax exemption for films with Tamil names would lead to production of more films resulting in more jobs for technicians. New producers would enter the field and enough films would be available for theatres. Praising the Chief Minister, he said that the Kalaignar '' has lit a lamp to bring cheer to lakhs of families in the Tamil film industry.''