Jagan Mohan Reddy wants the industry, which is well established in Hyderabad, to be shifted to Visakhapatnam
Jagan Mohan Reddy wants the industry, which is well established in Hyderabad, to be shifted to Visakhapatnam
To shift or not, that is the question. The Telugu film industry, popularly known as Tollywood, which shifted from Madras and settled comfortably in Hyderabad a few decades ago, is now taking another possible move to Visakhapatnam.
After convincing producers and directors to shoot several films in erstwhile United Andhra Pradesh, actor and producer Akkineni Nageswara Rao founded Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad in the 1970s. At that time, initially most of the popular Telugu actors, producers and directors were hesitant to relocate to Hyderabad. The industry is now facing a similar dilemma whether to continue in Hyderabad, the established tinsel town in Telangana or make a fresh start in AP, which promises better business and from where many actors and producers come.
The discussions have intensified after the recent meeting of industry heads with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. When the AP government wanted to make movie tickets more affordable before the release of big budget movies such as Teacher, Bhimla Nayak, Radhe Shyam, And the government getsThe cine industry delegation representing Chiranjeevi, Prabhas, Mahesh Babu and directors SS Rajamouli and Koratala Siva met Sri Reddy for an amicable solution. During that meeting, Sri Reddy made several concessions to shift the industry to Visakhapatnam. Sri Reddy suggested that at least 20% Telugu films should be made in AP, to boost the market there. He went a step ahead and asked industry heads to relocate to Visakhapatnam, which is the administrative capital of AP, adding that his government would provide land for studios and build residential townships. He said that Andhra Pradesh has more theaters than Telangana and contributes more than 60% of the revenue to the film industry. He promised that another Jubilee Hills would be built in Visakhapatnam. Mr. Chiranjeevi and Mr. Mahesh Babu responded positively to the proposal.
But it is not an easy decision, say industry people, as Hyderabad already has world-class infrastructure, where they can make films at a cheaper cost than places like Mumbai and Chennai. The city also houses Film Nagar and Krishna Nagar, where senior and junior actors reside. In addition, the Nizam’s town houses Ramoji Film City, a 1,600-acre integrated film studio complex.
The question is, why should the industry move forward now? The government argues that its relaxation, Visakhapatnam’s high growth potential, great location and good connectivity like ports and airports are hard to ignore. In addition, hundreds of films have been shot in and around Visakhapatnam. The city also has Ram Naidu Studio on Beach Road. Another production house is expected to come up with a studio soon. Location shots in Visakhapatnam have also clearly played a role in the success of many films.
The move will not be fast; Industry players say that it will be a slow and steady process. “We see greener pastures in Visakhapatnam. The idea is slowly sinking in, but it will take some time for us to move on,” says an actor.
During Partition, AP lost Hyderabad as well as the film industry. Most of the bigwigs in the industry are from the current AP area. At the same time, the Telangana government is doing everything it can to sustain the industry in Hyderabad. More recently, it allowed an increase in movie ticket rates when they were banned in AP. Transfers may have been a tough call for the industry, but more shooting and expansion in AP, if not a complete turnaround, was soon seen. can go. It’s probably just a matter of time before AP will see its stars shining brightly at home.
appaji.r@thehindu.co.in
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