Tamil film producers' body calls for halt to shoots as business slumps

The Tamil Film Producers' Council wants all new movie shoots to end with effect from 16 August and all pending shoots to be completed by 31 October. It said rising actor prices as well as the large signing amounts they take, incomplete projects and a backlog of unreleased films were among the issues that had adversely affected them.

“Producers are of the view that they have been taken for a ride. The film business has dipped by 30-40% over the past few years but there has been zero correction in actor prices. It is crucial that some sort of rationality sets in because only one entity cannot continue to bear losses," said film producer Yusuf Shaikh.

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Top Tamil film stars Vijay and Ajith can command ₹80 crore-100 crore per film. Recent Tamil films like Indian 2 and Captain Miller earned ₹90 crore and ₹104 crore domestically.

High ticket prices, a dearth of mass-market cinema, and a plethora of free home entertainment options are driving Indians away from theatres, according to experts. Meanwhile, actor fees, which jumped by 20% following the pandemic outbreak, remain elevated despite thinning theatres.

The movie business is in a crisis and needs to be rethought, the council said after a meeting attended by representatives of bodies such as the Film Federation of India and the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.

Disorganised industry

While the call to stop shoots may be tough to enforce in a fragmented and disorganised industry, trade experts and film producers said it is a sign of the ecosystem having broken down completely and stakeholders suffering.

As the box office slumps and satellite and digital revenue streams dry up, there are no takers for completed films, and about 1,000 projects are lying unreleased across languages, Shaikh said.

Many stars are not keen on revenue-sharing models proposed by filmmakers. At the same time, the industry has not been able to find new winning formulas, and bets on big stars have not always worked out, with high-budget spectacles such as Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan having flopped. 

In the Hindi movie industry, studios have halted fresh projects amid steep star fees and fickle audiences. The Bull, an action film starring Salman Khan, has been stalled indefinitely, while Ranveer Singh recently exited Rakshas, which was to be directed by Prashant Varma of Telugu hit HanuMan.

Discontent has been brewing among producers for a while, and not just for the Tamil industry, a senior producer said on condition of anonymity.

“You can’t have just one hit like Kalki 2898-AD bearing the weight of the industry. Things have come to a boil, but it remains to be seen if a move like the one proposed by the Tamil producers' council can be sustained in a free and disorganised market where you can’t stop people from shooting if they want to," the person said. 

He added that it is common for actors and directors to take signing amounts and then act hands-off when it comes to completing the project.

Another bone of contention is the window between the release of films in theatres and on streaming services. While the Tamil body has asked for the window to be fixed at eight weeks, the producer mentioned earlier said there is no consensus on this matter.

Unlike the Hindi film industry, those operating in the south are stronger and better organised. However, experts pointed out that there is no real way to enforce these mandates.

“Nobody is forcing filmmakers to sign actors demanding absurd fees. In Hindi, for instance, a lot of projects are getting shelved if there is consensus on the costs involved. These (producer bodies) are strong communities but it’s not like this is the law of the land, so you can’t exactly dictate terms in a free market," film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said.