Move to rein in big budget films

There is a serious move to subject producers of big budget films to certain conditions in the general interest of the film industry.

This issue will be on top of the agenda for a meeting of the general council of the

Tamil Nadu Producers Council convened for December.

In a circular to the members of the council, president Ramanarayanan says they can express their problems and give their views at the meeting.

Fabulous remunerations being paid to top stars, big budget films running into financial trouble after their launch, long shooting periods and other related problems dog the film industry in general.

These issues will come up at the meeting and important decisions will be taken, according to council sources.

Most important problem that producers of mega films face is one of proper budgeting. The budget prepared before the launch of a film increases many fold during the shooting because of cost escalation resulting in the shooting being halted midway. Not only producers, but all others associated with the project are adversely affected.

The general council meeting will consider all these factors and come up with solutions to help producers.

Two important conditions that become imperative in the present context are: one, the budget and the duration of shooting should be fixed before the commencement of the shooting and intimated to the Producers Council. Second, the date of release of the film should be announced as soon as the film is ready.

The practice of booking theatres without firming up the date of release affects other films which have to remain in the cans till theatres are available., it is pointed out.

The issues of scaling down the remunerations of stars and the entry of corporates into film-making and distribution will also be considered at the meeting.