Thaindian News

Kochi, Nov 11 (IANS) Film shootings scheduled to start Saturday have been halted as production costs have shot up dramatically, an emergency meeting of the Kerala Film Producers Association decided here Friday.

Association president Siyad Koker told reporters after the meeting that there was no other option because despite repeated requests to cut production costs, this had not happened.

“We have had several talks with the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) but it failed to yield any positive results and the production costs continue to go up. Now we have decided that we will now wait and watch what is going to happen. Our protest is not directed against any organisation,” said Koker.

FEFKA comprises 19 different organisations that include drivers to directors. It has had a love- hate relation with producers for long and this is not the first time that the film industry is going to come to a grinding halt.

In 2009 when the industry was on the verge of a shutdown, the various film-based organisations came to an understanding that mobiles would be banned when shooting is on, and shooting would be completed in 45 days time.

It was also decided to limit the length of raw film that needs to be exposed, besides a reduction in the remuneration of stars.

“From tomorrow (Saturday) onwards, all film shooting will come to a stop and we will not again go for talks in this regard,” said Koker. A section of the film theatre owners are also on a war path and this is also another reason why the producers have decided to go ahead with the strike.

Meanwhile, film star turned politician and Minister for Cinema K.B.Ganesh Kumar has taken up the role of a mediator and he is meeting the office bearers of the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors to find a way out to end the impasse.

The film industry is in a crisis because revenues for even blockbusters are falling for various reasons, including the huge influx of pirated CDs available a few days after the film hit the theatres.