Post-demonetisation woes continue to plague Malayalam film industry even after three-and-a-half weeks of the Centre’s decision to scrap Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 currency notes.
Shortage of Rs.100 notes and the newly-printed Rs.500 notes has derailed the production work of most movies. A senior production controller said shooting had slowed down in several sets after workers started demanding their daily wages.
“Close to Rs.4 lakh is required daily for managing a production. Of this, a few transactions can be done through cheques, while cash is required for the other requirements, including payment of wages,” he added.
The cap on withdrawals from banks and ATMs has forced production teams to either defer payment or request workers to manage with the money available with production controllers. A senior art director admitted that he had to cancel the shoot as the producer could not make payments for purchasing various materials.
“I needed around Rs.1 lakh the other day, but the producer could advance only Rs.25,000 owing to currency shortage. The situation may turn worse in the coming days, if banks do not lift the cap on withdrawals,” he said.
Production controllers pointed out that payment of salaries to junior artistes had also taken a hit due to currency crisis. “Most junior artistes are paid in the range of Rs.1,000 and above based on their roles on a daily basis. We have no option but to postpone payments. Junior artistes do not complain much fearing they may lose their chances,” they said.
Even though collections at ticket counters have started picking up, the problems facing producers are yet to be resolved. Theatres are still scrambling for smaller denomination notes. Multiplexes have not felt the heat as people buy tickets online.
