With no headway in talks, Telangana Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy convened a meeting of the workers and producers and convinced them to resolve the issue amicably
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The crisis in Tollywood continues to hit film shootings, with workers and producers refusing to budge. The Telugu Film Industry Employees Federation, which is demanding a 30 per cent wage hike, has alleged that producers are evading discussions and imposing new conditions on the workers.
The producers, however, stated that the unions are not taking any steps to upgrade the workers’ skills, forcing them to rely on skilled workers from outside.
“We are also asking them to change the shift timings to 9 am to 9 pm from the present norm of 6 am to 6 pm. We will do everything to employ local workers, as it helps us save money. We request you to upgrade yourself,” a Telugu Film Producer Council Executive said.
After weeks of discussions failed to yield any results, the Federation called for a strike from August 4. It resulted in a grinding halt to film shoots, including the shooting of a web series slated for release during Dasara.
“The cost of living has gone up significantly, and most of our union members are not getting work throughout the month,” Ammiraju Kanumilli, General Secretary of the Federation, told businessline.
Senior producer Thammareddy Bharadwaja extended support to the workers, saying that the nature of work was seasonal. Rejecting the claim by some producers that workers received salaries on par with software employees, he said that film workers were given work for only two or three weeks.
“They have been asking for a wage hike for over five months. They should have resolved this quite early,” he said.
On the quantum of the hike, he defended the workers’ right to ask for a hike. “We can arrive at a mutually agreeable number by holding discussions,” he said.
With no headway in talks, Telangana Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy convened a meeting of the workers and producers and convinced them to resolve the issue amicably.
Producers’ argument
Stating that they are willing to discuss the wage hike issues, the producers want the unions to help them increase productive hours. “The projects are getting delayed as the shootings start late. We should do something about this,” a senior producer said.
Published on August 16, 2025
