April 22, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): The ever rising production costs in the Telugu film industry have led to the need for corrective measures, and this is the reason why the Telugu film Producer’s Council (TFPC) declared an emergency meeting on Tuesday to deliberate on the issue. The council came up with different measures like completing the film in 45 days and also reducing a film’s negative consumption.
According to a prominent personality, the remuneration given to the leading stars is the major component in all production budgets, which have been rising considerably since the last three years.
To give a few examples, Mahesh Babu, (with no releases) has demanded Rs 5 to rs 7 crores , while Jr NTR demanded Rs 10 crore from Dil Raju, the producer of ongoing Brindavanam.
When estimated, the average cost of a Telugu film with big stars has reached Rs. 25 to 30 crores. The producer receives very little profit when the film becomes a hit and loses his investment even when the film becomes a partial hit and all this because the remuneration of artistes and the crew constitutes 50% of the total production costs, leaving only 50% for the film.
— Sampurn Wire
