The Telugu film industry is in a crisis of sorts with producers being worried over the spiralling costs of production.
Two major factors are the high remuneration paid to stars and directors and the digital technology that accounts for 15 to 20 per cent of the cost. A similar situation had cropped up in 1976 and again in the early 1980s making producers work out austerity measures.
Producers now do not want to act unilaterally to tackle the crisis and are working towards a consensus on measures to cut costs. ‘Hit' directors charge upwards of Rs. 4 crore for a film, leading male stars above Rs. 2 crore and actresses around Rs. 1 crore. Allu Aravind's ‘Maghadheera' featuring his nephew Ramcharan Tej cost him Rs. 35 crore to produce while Shyam Prasad Reddy's ‘Arundhati' cost over Rs. 20 crore. The former grossed Rs. 70 crore at the box office and the latter crossed Rs. 45 crore. But not every producer can afford to make such big budget films nor are stars willing to reduce their fees.
