Telugu film indrustry cuts cost

For the moment, actors, directors and technicians can heave a sigh of relief. The eight-member Cost Committee of the Producers’ Council has resolved to put pay cuts on hold as it hopes to garner consensus on a broader strategy for cutting costs.

The 60-odd guidelines include a cutback on — caravans, pick up and drop for artistes, buffets, make-up artists provided by the company etc. The new norms also include — a 12-hour shift, limitation on rolls exposed, hourly payments after shift hours and above all insisting on proper accounting from art, costume and other departments. “Our primary focus is to protect the interests of films made on modest budgets. These measures could help save up between 30 per cent to 40 per cent. For instance, a Rs 2 crore film could save almost Rs 60 lakh if these guidelines are adhered to. Needless to say that mega bucks films are on autopilot to crash anyway,” says a reliable source in Producers’ Council.

Veteran director Sagar, president of Telugu Film Directors’ Association, however, is yet to take a decision on the new set of proposals. “We intend to have a detailed discussion on guidelines from various angles, before arriving at a decision. We may arrive at a solution by April 30,” he informs. Director Saikiran Adavi however feels that rules can be broken if there is no commitment. “I think everybody involved in a film should consciously work towards reducing cost. Besides content, small films would benefit from consultations among producers, distributor and exhibitors and every member in the chain of filmmaking to arrive at a viable solution. Not just by following some guidelines,” he reasons.

Nevertheless, the committee has come up with a novel idea (in practice in Bollywood) for reducing spiralling remunerations of superstars and top-ranking directors without the most predictable advisory of pay cuts across the board. Reportedly, it has floated the idea of ‘profit-sharing’ module for superstars and leading directors for each film. According to this, a superstar who is charging Rs 10 crore, would be given Rs 6 crore, and the remaining 40 per cent payout would come from the profits of the film’s business. “We have already implemented this profit sharing module for our films Vedham and Maryadaraman by director Rajamouli. We paid 50 per cent remuneration to top actors and chief technicians and the rest was paid from the profits made on the film. No doubt, it’s a viable module, but still the sky-high remuneration of the top layer should come down,” says producer Devineni Prasad.

Reportedly, the cost cutting initiative got a big fillip, when A-listers like Chiranjeevi’s family, Venkatesh and Balakrishna resolved to adhere to cost-cutting measures including pay cuts, if necessary for a year. “New Malayalam films have been stalled due to high payouts and even Tamil producers are demanding that stars should revise their pay packets. I hope even Telugu stars and directors will follow suit to save the industry from a slump,” says producer C Kalyan who’s also the president of South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.

Rupanjana turns choosy

Eleven long years in Tollywood and she has already essayed more than 50 characters.

But now, Rupanjana Mitra wants to act only in meaningful projects. “I have cut down on work drastically. Recently, I turned down a lot of offers. Maybe, it’s a risk but I’m still willing to take it. At present, I’m only concentrating on Sanaka’s character that I play in the megaserial Behula. Playing a mythological character is not that easy and one has to really get under the skin of the character to make it look convincing,” says Rupanjana.

But what happened to her popular tracks in the serial Durga, Binnidhaner Khoi and Hero? “As I said, it’s my choice not to do more than one project now! Time has come when I need to be known as a performing actor,” she reasons. After two years, Rupanjana is again acting in films. This time around, it is for director Shukla Mitra’s Teen Tanaya. “It’s not that I don’t get offers to act in films. But sadly, they are all hero’s sister or heroine’s friend. With due respect, I refuse to say ‘yes’ to such offers. The problem is the directors here are not ready to experiment with the actors who act primarily in serials. Teen Tanaya is a tribute to 150 years of Rabindranath Tagore and it is a film based on three poems of Tagore. Of the three poems, I play Binu from Phaki and Shaheb has been cast opposite me,” she informs. Meanwhile, the buzz doing the rounds is that she has been roped in by director Shiboprasad Mukherjee for his next film. “Well, it’s too early to talk about it. But yes, Shibu did approach me. The film is a dialect-based comedy. I guess, I’ll have to talk like the way people in Purulia speak,” Rupanjana signs off.

Rehan’s No Amanush

Reason enough why the model-turned-actor can’t be totally unruffled about his absence from the promos and posters. He tells TOI that his biggest publicity would be audience appreciation...

Your debut film, Amanush, will be releasing soon. Aren’t you jittery?

I’m both excited and nervous. Wish I could come down to Kolkata for the release, but I’m caught up with quite a few assignments in Mumbai. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it.

It’s heard, before Amanush happened, you were selected for Lakhindar’s role in the megaserial, Behula?

Yes. The company that’s producing both these projects saw my pictures and asked me to come down to Kolkata. Though I was not too keen on acting in Bengali serials, I thought of meeting the team once. The moment I entered the office, Rajibda (director of Amanush) said, ‘He is just the right guy to play Adi. I will freeze him.’ And my enthusiasm knew no limits after I read the script! I play the second lead, Adi, who thinks girls are easily available, but changes his outlook once he meets Ria (Srabanti).

And Adi ends up sacrificing his love for Binod (Soham)...

Sadly, I can’t disclose the story.

Did you dub your lines?

At first Rajibda was hesitant, but I convinced him. In fact, I had to let go of a soft drink commercial because of this.

Do you know that the director had auditioned many actors before he zeroed in on you?

(Laughs) Rajibda told me later on that the film had kept delaying because he couldn’t decide who will play Adi. I feel privileged!

But your mention is conspicuously absent from the promos and posters of the film that have only Srabanti and Soham...

I think, I’m the surprise element.

But still, deep down, aren’t you feeling bad that other actors are hogging all the limelight?

It’s not that I’m not feeling bad at all, but I fully respect the marketing strategy of the production house. Frankly, my biggest publicity will be if the audience likes my performance and not just my face on posters or my songs aired on several channels!

Have you appeared in any of the songs?

Oh, yes! I’m there in Jiboner Jolchobi and in Monta kore uru uru with Soham.

You also met with an accident while shooting for the film...

Yes, I had a head injury in Siliguri the day we were supposed to shoot the film’s climax. The team wanted to postpone the shoot, but I went ahead and did it since I didn’t want the production house to face any problem because of me.

How was it working with Srabanti and Soham?

Soham is extremely helpful and Srabanti is full of energy.

Anjali: Mahesh's only 'girl' friend

“I can’t believe the kind of response this film has evoked. I’ve had lots of people calling me to congratulate me for my performance. From popular directors to college students I do not know, people from all walks of life have been showering praises,” blushes Anjali, when we begin by posing a question on the impact the movie, Angadi Theru, has had on audiences across the state.

It’s evident the movie, which highlights the tough lives that salespersons in the city lead through its gripping story, has touched the hearts of the Tamil audience. But was its story one of the factors that made her agree to do this project? Smiles Anjali in return. “Actually, none of the artistes knew the story while accepting or working in the project. All that we knew were the names of our characters. But I accepted it because I had complete faith in Vasanthabalan sir and Arun Pandian sir. All that Arun Pandian sir said about this film when he was explaining about it was, ‘If all the movies produced by our company are considered a crown, Angadi Theru will be the jewel in it.’ That was all I required to agree to do this project,” she explains.

A movie, to succeed, needs a gripping story, a brilliant director and a gifted cast. Angadi Theru has all of them. Commenting on her co-artiste Mahesh, Anjali says, “Mahesh is very comfortable to work with. Initially, he was so shy that he would not speak with women. I still think I’m the only girl he has spoken to so far.”

The movie’s success and the co-operation of its crew members have now prompted the same producer to make another film with the same cast members. Discloses the actress, “Actually, I’ve just signed another film for the same producer with my same co-stars. Mahesh will play the lead role and Pandi too will be a part of this new film.”

Rettaisuzhi, Anjali’s next film after Angadi Theru, has also been making heads turn. So, how was it working on the movie, which features two of Tamil film industry’s most popular directors, Bharathirajaa and K Balachander?

Says she, “I play Bharathirajaa sir’s granddaughter in the film. I was scared initially because I was told that he is known to lambast artistes who do not perform. So, on the very first day itself, I asked him if he was going to chide me. He burst out laughing. He replied, ‘I once chided an artiste when he did not perform. And that happened a long time ago. From then on, they’ve been writing only about it. I don’t know why.’ I think Bharthirajaa sir has an open heart. He may scold you but he will also appreciate you if you do a scene well. My role in Rettaisuzhi will prevent me from being stereotyped as it is a different role,” says the actress, who is also busy with Thambi Vettothi Sundaram, Magizhchi and Thoonga Nagaram.

Nayanthara excited for 'Electra'

It looks like sexy siren Nayanthara is in a mood to experiment. After essaying numerous glam-centric roles, she is all set to unveil a new dimension in the Malayalam film Electra.

“I am doing this film purely for creative satisfaction, as it offers me an opportunity to showcase my histrionics skills,” she confesses. She is joining hands with award-winning filmmaker Shyamprasad for her maiden off-beat movie. So, that means she needed to put in more homework for that role. “I am excited that I am going to explore a new genre and the director is insisting on spontaneity. So, I intend to go to the sets with an open mind,” she adds.

Another reason for the paradigm shift in her thinking process, she elaborates is because, “In most star centric movies (both Tamil and Telugu), actresses are confined to dancing around trees. I think there’s need to add something more substantial to our roles rather than making us mere glam props in big-ticket films, or else actresses like us will be deprived of the opportunity to showcase our versatility. Invariably, we have to fall back on either author-backed roles or significant roles in small budget films.”

So is she gravitating towards performance-oriented roles, due to stiff competition offered by upcoming starlets? “Every year innumerable girls take their maiden bow in films, but only a handful leave their mark. Also newcomers have to put in years of hard work and display their staying power. It will take most of them sometime before they can reach our position, so there’s no question of any comparison with them. However, there are filmmakers who want established actresses to add brand value to their mega bucks movies, invariably approach us,” she says with relish.

Nevertheless, the dusky actress is ready to acknowledge the competition among A-line actresses like Shriya, Trisha and Anushka. “Everybody has their own space and one needs to respect and appreciate that. But having said that, I am done with making statements on the everchanging numbers game,” she reasons. Despite being part of the fabulous five (female stars) of T-town, Nayan is sharing screen space with two relatively small actresses in her latest flick. “I am not exactly sharing screen space with them, my scenes are confined to the flashback episode. However, my new avatar will grip the audience,” she points out.

Nayan has also been thumbing down plum offers in Tollywood of late. Is her interest in the local film industry diminishing? “No way! Telugu audiences have always given me a warm response, but I couldn’t accept the films I was offered for one reason or the other. Also I had to allotted more dates for a Kannada film,” she says. But is it worth bartering fat pay cheques and big star films for a small Kannada film? “Commitment is sacrosanct for me. I’ll go to any lengths to keep up my word. If I was just fascinated with pay packets, I would have done many small films revolving around me and shored up my bank balance. Though I like to work with big stars in Telugu, I weigh other issues before signing on the dotted line,” she says.

And what about B-town? “I am well-established and respected in southern cinema. I don’t feel the necessity to move to Bollywood. Maybe, I would have considered doing it, if I had got an offer, during my initial years. But now after attaining stardom here, I don’t want to be treated as a newcomer in Bollywood,” she explains. Nevertheless, she concurs, on the issue of short career spans of actresses down south. Is the 27-year-old actress wary? “I have no worries since I am flooded with offers from the southern states. However, the career span of actresses in southern cinema is gradually diminishing from 10 years to 5 years, but that’s because heroines are not given appropriate footage in the films. That’s why, I prefer to juggle with the languages films,” she says.

While her peers like Trisha and Shreya are endorsing brands, Nayan hasn’t joined the bandwagon. “So far, I wasn’t interested,but now I may give endorsing a thought, if I come across an exciting brand,” she reveals.

Despite rumours floating around about her and Prabhu Deva, she hasn’t denied them. “Rumours don’t bother me anymore. Some rumours are so weird that I don’t even react. For instance, I may be shooting in a particular place and I get to know that I am with my boyfriend somewhere else. Initially, I used to be disturbed with such baseless rumours, but now I ignore them. I think it’s the price one pays for being a celebrity. I have occasionally denied the allegations but I can’t be issuing denials every second day,” she confesses.

Snatching incidents, robberies jolt Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: A series of daylight robberies and incidents of snatching targeting morning walkers has left Chandigarh residents, especially senior citizens, feeling insecure and police red-faced.

In separate incidents April 19, four women on their morning walk in different parts of the city were robbed of their gold ornaments by motorcycle-borne youths in a span of just one hour. In one case, the woman tried to retaliate and even tore off the shirt of the accused but could not stop him from fleeing.

The next day, a 60-year-old morning walker was targeted by armed youths carrying pistols and her ornaments stolen.

This has aroused a feeling of insecurity among residents, especially senior citizens.

Sarita Mahajan, an elderly resident, said: "After reading reports of snatching incidents, I've stopped wearing gold. In fact, I have stopped going for morning walks alone and now I take my grandchildren along."

On April 21 night, robbers struck at 10 shops in Sectors 7, 24, 26 and 27 and decamped with cash and valuables worth lakhs of rupees. Although police have got some images of the robbers through CCTV cameras installed at one shop, they are yet to reach a breakthrough.

A 26-year-old man was arrested April 23 while allegedly running away on a scooter after snatching a woman's bag.

"The accused is a drug addict. He had done a bachelor of business administration from a Canadian university. We are interrogating him to know if he was involved in other snatching incidents," a police official said.

On Jan 23, eight incidents of snatching targeting elderly women occurred in quick succession. Last year, a robber severely injured a woman in the ears while attempting to snatch her earrings outside Terraced Garden in Sector 33.

Police admit there has been a spurt in such crimes.

"There has been some increase in snatching incidents and robberies in the last few days, but we are committed to solving all the cases and to ensure the prevention of such incidents in future. We have collected various clues and very soon the culprits will be behind bars," S.S. Srivastava, senior superintendent of police, Chandigarh, said.

"We are in touch with police of the neighbouring towns of Panchkula and Mohali. We have zeroed in on certain anti-social elements and are keeping an eye on them."

Chandigarh was originally designed for 500,000 people, but currently it has over 1.1 million residents.

Srivastava said they have intensified police patrolling and hundreds of police checkposts have been installed for morning and evening hours.

"We are keeping a close watch on the activities of criminals and those who were recently released from jail. Cops are also holding meetings with market welfare associations and residents welfare associations," he pointed out.

Airport Line trains to be in Delhi soon, tests to start

NEW DELHI: Having received the first lot of trains from Spain, the Delhi Airport Metro Express Limited will put them on tracks for testing by the middle of next month as it gears up to launch the much-awaited line connecting Connaught Place with the Airport by September.

The first set of trains, procured from CAF, Spain which also supplied trains to Hong Kong airport metro and London's Heathrow Express have arrived at the Mundra port and will reach Delhi in another three-four days, an official spokesperson of the Reliance Infrastructure-led Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd said.

The Airport Express Line, once operational, will cover the entire 23 km from New Delhi to Indira Gandhi International Airport in just about 20 minutes - that too in a luxury environment.

Once the trains reach Delhi, they will be stationed at the Dwarka depot for the mandatory tests to be conducted.

"Static tests will be done and it will take 4-5 days. After the static tests are over, the train will be put on test track for testing. Thereafter, the rake would be transferred to the mainline where low-speed and high-speed test would be carried out. Finally, oscillation trials will be carried out under the supervision of RDSO. The entire process will take 2 to 3 months," the spokesperson said.

Lalit Jalan, CEO, Reliance Infrastructure, said the Airport Express Line, which will be the showcase line of the capital, will be operational by September, a month before the Commonwealth Games.

"The Airport Line will be better than anything that the city has seen till now. We are going to use the best technologies available around the world and are completing work on a war footing to open the line by September," he said in a statement.

Once the tests are over, the trial runs on the line will begin. However, it is not yet clear when the trial runs will begin. The Airport Express Line is the first metro line in the country to come up on Public Private Partnership model.