The important meeting of the Producers Guild took place recently and all the active producers who are a part of the Guild made their presence for the meeting. The discussion was majorly focused on how to save the producers in this coronavirus crisis. All the producers proposed a pay cut of 25% for the actors, directors and all the technicians who are associated with the Telugu films.

The Producers Guild decided to implement this for the upcoming movies which are waiting for release to the films that are under shoot and those which will start rolling this year. A couple of more meetings are planned to discuss other issues. Several producers are also keen to slash down the budgets of their upcoming movies. All the directors have been asked to work on the revised budgets.

There are several meetings going on about resuming the shoots of Telugu films. While some of them are ready for shoots, most of the directors, producers and actors are not ready to take a risk and land in unwanted troubles in this coronavirus season. Considering the statistics, the spread of coronavirus is high and shooting in these conditions following the guidelines is undoubtedly a huge risk for everyone. One unexpected incident will turn a threat for the entire industry says producer Suresh Babu.

Maintaining social distancing on the sets is not an easy task. For a romantic entertainer, the hero and the heroine will have to shoot closer and they cannot miss the intimacy. Though some of the filmmakers say that they are ready to shoot with just 50 crew members, it is impossible practically. Even a small film needs 70 crew members and shooting with the new guidelines and taking a risk is not the need of the hour. Though the government is ready to grant permissions, most of the filmmakers are not ready to resume the shoots considering the guidelines and the current situations.

As per the ongoing debates and updates, the shoots of Telugu films will not resume before August.

Megastar Chiranjeevi along with a bunch of celebrities met Telangana Cinematography Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav after which they met Telangana Chief Minister KCR. The government was positive and asked Telugu cinema bigwigs to come up with the guidelines that should be followed on the sets to grant permissions. But things changed eventually and the number of cases in and around Hyderabad are increasing on a regular basis.

As per the latest update, the Telangana government is now reconsidering their decision and they are not completely positive for the film shoots. Some of the producers and actors too are not ready to join the sets immediately. Tollywood producers will sure feel the pressure as the budgets would go up because of the special guidelines. Sanitizers, PPE sets, face masks, thermal scanners and other equipment would cost them a bomb and they should be maintained on the sets on a regular basis.

After collecting the feedback from several celebrities, the government decided to grant permission for shoots in August and not before that.

Hyderabad is the most comfortable place for film shoots as the city has enough number of studios and shooting floors. There is huge amount of open space available across the outskirts. Though the Telangana government is ready to grant permissions for film shoots, it is not that easy to shoot in Hyderabad. The number of coronavirus cases have been increasing at a rapid speed in Telangana and most of the new cases are from Hyderabad. There are several containment zones in the city.

It is not easy to conduct outdoor shoots in and around Hyderabad. The Telangana government may impose restrictions for shooting in the city and it may ask not to shoot in the city because of the increasing number of cases. Even the top actors are not recommending shoots in Hyderabad for some time. The shoot locations should be away from red zones. The crew members should be kept safe and healthy. Tollywood filmmakers have enough challenges to face in the coming days because of coronavirus.

The Tollywood celebrities met the government of Telangana and discussed resuming the film shoots. After they got a positive nod from the government, the guidelines to be followed are being worked out. A set of films that are nearing completion will be granted permission to shoot on a priority basis. The post-production works of Telugu films too will resume from June 1st. The theatres are expected to reopen from August first week as per the update.

V, Nishabdham, Red, Orey Bujjiga and 30 Rojullo Preminchatam Ela are the only films that are ready with the first copy. Several films are in the final stages of shoot. If the theatres are opened in August, there should be a minimum number of 20 films (with known actors or directors) to screen the films for the month to get decent footfalls in Telugu states. As there would not be a chance for a film to be screened in more number of screens, more number of films need to get ready if the theatres are reopened. Telugu producers are now rushing to complete the shoots and announce the release dates soon after they get a clarity on the reopening of theatres.

The lockdown in the country is expected to come to an end by May 31st. The film shoots may not resume immediately and the theatres will not reopen at the earliest. But the Telangana government is quite positive when it comes to post-production works. As per the latest news, several production houses are in plans to resume the post-production work from June 1st. Films like Vakeel Saab, Sreekaram, Solo Brathuke So Better, Most Eligible Bachelor, Alludu Adhurs, are in last leg of shoots.

All these films are expected to start their post-production works starting from June 1st. Films like V, Aranya, Nishabdham, Red and Uppena already completed all the post-production formalities. Telangana government is expected to make an official announcement about resuming the post-production works very soon.

After the country is shattered with coronavirus outbreak, India headed for a lockdown. There are several speculations that the big-budget films are heading for a direct OTT release instead of a theatrical release. There are reports that OTT giants offered hefty prices for the OTT deals but most of the figures are fake. OTT platforms operate on a subscription basis and not on revenue sharing basis. Hence shelling out huge money for the digital rights would not leave them in huge profits and these deals are not ideal for them.

When it comes to small films, the deals would be decent as they can acquire the rights for decent prices. Right from Bollywood to Tollywood, there are several speculations and the filmmakers had to trash them as rumors. As of now, Nishabdham is the only film from Telugu cinema which is in talks for digital release among decent budget films. The Centre is in plans to announce relief for theatres but Tollywood producers are not ready to release their films in this crisis and incur losses.

The theatres across the country are completely shut from the past few months. Though the country is slowly returning back to normal, the patrons will not return to theatres to watch films anytime soon. The Centre is in plans to reopen the shopping malls and movie theatres from June or July. Here are the new set of rules that would be followed by the exhibitors across Telugu states to prevent the spread of coronavirus:

Only 50% of the seats would be sold and social distancing will be maintained after the theatre owners will sell the alternate seats. Several changes are being planned for online ticket sales. The printed tickets will be banned for some time and the audience will be allowed through QR codes which would be sent to their mobiles. These would be scanned during the entry.

Only three shows would be screened for some time. The last show would be completed before 7 PM. There would be a considerable gap of 45 minutes for every show. All the seats would be sanitized after the completion of every show. The theatre owners are in plans to close the alternate seats using ribbons to prevent the patrons from sitting beside each other.

Special arrangements are being made near refreshment stalls and toilets. Social distancing should be strictly maintained in these places.

The discussion about the ticket prices too in on and they would be finalized soon.

With the coronavirus scare, the shoots of Telugu films are halted. The exact dates when the shoots would get resumed is unknown for the filmmakers. The producers are left in huge financial stress because of the unexpected break. Some of the actors are keen to resume the shoots only after the vaccine for coronavirus arrives in the market. Though some of the producers are ok with the idea, some of them are strongly opposing the move as it takes 8-10 months more for the vaccine to be available.

Hence various producers are suggesting indoor shoots with a limited crew so that the shoots can be completed. The producers are ready to follow the guidelines of the government. The outdoor shoots will be restricted for some time as it needs enough crew and excessive burdens like traveling and more manpower. Special security measures too should be taken to prevent outsiders in these cases. Telugu Film Producers Council and Producers Guild will discuss all these factors and will come up with a single stand. A bunch of producers would meet the governments of Telugu states to allow shoots soon.

The theatre openings are interconnected with the shootings as they need enough number of prominent films to be ready for release before the theatres across Telugu states start screening back movies.

The digital platforms happened to be the favorite pass-time for the people after the lockdown got implemented all over. With huge traffic across OTT platforms, digital giants like Netflix and Amazon pre-poned the release of several web series and films. As per the update, 30 new shows, web series and films will be out on various digital platforms tomorrow. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hoichoi TV, Hotstar, Zee5 and others will have 30 plus new releases on May 1st.

Like new film releases every Friday, the digital platforms are coming with new releases on Fridays cash the craze during the season. Already the viewers and subscribers are increased by lakhs for every digital platform across India. With the arrival of new shows and coronavirus wave all over, the digital platforms will be rushed with huge traffic for couple of more months. All the theaters across India are shut and the closure will continue for two more months as per the update. OTT platforms will be the top priority and only place for entertainment for viewers for this season.

With the coronavirus lockdown, the shoots came to a stop and the theatres are closed. Right from the producers to the distributors and exhibitors, everyone is in crisis. It is clear that after the lockdown gets lifted, several films that completed shoots will head for release. Several top producers recently interacted through a video conference and took crucial calls. It is heard that all the producers will come on to a common stand and meet once the lockdown gets lifted.

All those films that completed shoot will be given priority for release. The films that are in the final stages of shoots will be the second bunch heading for release. All the actors, actresses and character artists will be allocating the dates for the projects that they have already signed. They would be asked not to sign any new projects until they complete their current commitments. All the producers are working on the challenges that they would face in the coming months. To prevent further problems, Tollywood producers will discuss and resolve their issues internally instead of heading for clashes that would create further problems.

The film industry is badly impacted due to the coronavirus. All the shoots are kept on hold and the new release dates would be announced soon after the lockdown gets lifted. The heroines will have a tough time ahead because of the coronavirus outbreak. Along with films, they are earning huge money through endorsements and openings of shopping malls. Small actresses are earning decently through modeling. All these came to a halt due to coronavirus.

The film shoots are expected to resume in June or July. The pressure will be mounted on the actresses who already signed two to three films. All the filmmakers will mount pressure to join the sets immediately after the lockdown gets lifted. In this process, the top actresses would be losing a film or two from their signed projects and several young, new actresses would get a chance. All the actresses will have to complete the project which is already under shoot on top priority.

The actresses are in plans not to lose the big projects and they may walk out of small projects if needed. The actresses are now left confused because of the current situation. This may also spoil the relations with actors and filmmakers as most of the actresses cannot accommodate their dates to all the signed projects at the same time.