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.
