Amid the ongoing strike by film workers in Tollywood, a group of emerging producers held a press meet to highlight the mounting challenges faced by small-budget filmmakers.
The meeting was attended by producers SKN, Dheeraj Mogilineni, Razesh Danda, Chaitanya (Prime Show), Sharath (Chai Bisket), Anurag, Madhura Sreedhar, Maheshwar Reddy, and Rakesh Varre.
They spoke about how rigid union rules and steep wage demands are making it increasingly difficult for smaller productions to survive.
Producer SKN stressed that the majority of the industry’s output comes from small films, yet these filmmakers have little influence and are often left to bear financial pressures on their own.
He criticized the proposed 30% wage hike, questioning how producers could possibly recover their investments when revenues are already uncertain. Despite working tirelessly to fund and complete their projects, many end up with little or no returns.
“Our struggles are overlooked. We are not rising producers — we are burning producers,” SKN said. He pointed out that ticket pricing policies and OTT deals largely favor big-budget films, leaving smaller productions with limited benefits.
Citing actor Kiran Abbavaram as one of the few who stood by their small film, SKN questioned the fairness of imposing wage hikes when most actors and producers are already struggling to stay afloat.
He urged unions to balance their rights with responsibilities and called on the governments of both Telugu states to step in and support small producers, whom he described as the backbone of the industry.
Producer Chaitanya Reddy of Prime Show echoed SKN’s concerns and added further points about the industry’s current crisis.
“The situation of producers is dire — not just here, but worldwide. Filmmaking is struggling everywhere, and everyone is working with hope. Forcing producers to hire a fixed number of people instead of letting them decide isn’t right. Producers create employment, yet no producer is truly happy right now. I hope this issue is resolved soon,” she said.
