Telangana Cinematography and Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav today said that the state government would develop Hyderabad as a "film hub".
Speaking at a high-level review meeting that was attended by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and various other government officials, the minister stated, "Our government will address all the issues of the pandemic-hit film industry. We will work on addressing the problems of theatre owners and workers as well, and will support film shootings and promotions so that the industry can overcome the losses incurred in the past few months. Further, efforts will be made to develop Hyderabad into a thriving film hub."
"Our state has many beautiful shooting spots. Realising this, we will work to develop the Telugu film industry. To achieve this, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has already held several meetings. Like I said before, we will also soon work on resolving the problems of the film industry workers and theatre owners. All related matters will be brought to the notice of the CM, and following a meeting with him, an action plan to address the same will be devised. Our government is totally committed to promoting cinema, theatres, and, by extension, film shootings. We will provide all the necessary support to the industry to help it recover from its current slump. In this regard, we have already granted permission for the screening of films and theatre owners have been asked to reopen movie halls in accordance with Covid-19 safety protocols. Besides this, a single window permission system has been set up to grant permission for the recommencement of film shootings to hasten the process," he added.
Elaborating on the problems of the Tollywood industry, Yadav noted, "The state's film chamber, producers' association and managements of film theatres had submitted representations to us. We have received them all and are examining the issues outlined in them. We understand that the film industry suffered huge losses during the pandemic - theatres had to be shut down, and shootings cancelled. This caused massive economic problems for producers and theatre owners alike. The disruption of film screenings and shooting schedules has increased economic pressures on the workers of the industry. Appeals to waive electricity charges and property taxes have also been submitted as a result. Our government will take a call on he matter soon."
The minister has been in regular contact with representatives from the Tollywood fraternity as well as with exhibitors, and has been working on
resolving their problems.