Kerala film producers claimed that the Malayalam film industry was facing its ‘worst ever crisis” and the only way forward was to cut by half the production cost of films.Kerala film industry consists of various bodies like AMMA (actors’ body), FEFKA (which represents all sections of industry from light boys to directors), and distributors and exhibitors bodies.
Edavela Babu, general secretary, AMMA( Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes) , said that they had not yet received any official communication from the Kerala Film Producers Association on possible pay cuts.
“We are all aware of the crisis and are willing to cooperate. But the decision to enforce pay cuts cannot be one-sided. What is needed is a meeting of all associations to discuss the way forward,” he said.
Once an official communication was received from the producers’ association, AMMA would decide on the response, but a meeting with the producers might not be possible in a hurry. “With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing, members of the association may not be able to travel for the meeting. Besides, there is no hurry to arrive at a decision since there is no clarity on the situation in which we might be able to begin shooting,” he said.
The unfinished films needed to be finished before beginning new ones. The remuneration that artistes received for each film could be different and was arrived at after some understanding and discussion, he said.
One aspect that AMMA was likely to insist on was that if pay cuts were implemented, they would have to be enforced across the board. A situation where the top stars received their regular pay and people who already received little bore the brunt of the cut would not be acceptable, Mr. Babu said.
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