Telugu actors agreed cost committee

Subsequent to hectic parleys, Tollywood stars have signed a “breakthrough” agreement to strengthen the bond between producers and artistes that will ultimately give some much-needed savings for filmmakers.
According to industry sources, stars like Venkatesh, Balakrishna, Mahesh Babu, NTR Jr, Ram Charan Tej, Allu Arjun and Ravi Teja have agreed to comply with the 60-odd measures proposed by the cost committee. These measures are expected to save Rs 40 to 60 lakh for a small film and Rs 2 to Rs 3 crore for a big-budget film.
“Undoubtedly it’s a progressive move since the ‘cut list’ was drafted carefully. I am glad that it is seeing light of day after being in cold storage for nearly six months,” said a cost committee member. Besides actors like Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam, and Venu Madhav have also signed on the dotted line.
Among other conditions, the agreement states that while shooting, actors have to restrict their personal staff, arrange for their own conveyance, adhere to call sheet timings and receive pay packets in instalments besides travelling with the rest of the crew on overseas shootings.
Actors from other regions will be paid Rs 3,500 per day for boarding and lodging and abolition of “daily beta” is also on the cards.
“Any initiative towards slashing budgets deserves kudos but production costs escalates due to various factors. For effective implementation, every crew member should work
‘consciously’ towards it,” said filmmaker Saikiran Adavi.
The council intends to constitute an 18-member advisory committee — six members each from actors’, directors’ and producers’ guilds — that will address complaints of producers and also consider “penalties” on violators.
“The penalty might be around `5 to 10 lakh,” said a source. Few top-of-the-line directors, S. S. Rajamouli, V. V. Vinayak, Srinu Vytla and Puri Jagannath, have also jumped on the bandwagon. “I am not aware of it. Maybe they have done it on their own. But our body is still discussing it and is yet to arrive at a conclusion,” said Sagar, president of Telugu Film Directors’ Association