No Compromise On L&O, CM Reddy Tells Film Ind Amid Rumours Of 'Strained' Ties

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday made it clear to a visiting Telugu cinema industry delegation that there would be no compromise on law and order in the State and that it applies to everyone including the film fraternity.

The CM also conveyed to the delegation of Telugu film personalities led by ace producer and Telangana Film Development Corporation (FDC) Chairman Venkata Ramana Reddy, that a Cabinet Sub-Committee will be constituted to resolve the problems of the film industry and suggested to them to set up an in-house panel as well.

The meeting between the CM and the film personalities was held at the Police Integrated Command Control Centre here, and in the wake of actor Allu Arjun's recent arrest that had led to speculations of 'strained' ties between the ruling dispensation and the cinema industry post the police action against the 'Pushpa' star.

A 35-year-old woman died at Sandhya Theatre here in a stampede where Allu Arjun-starrer 'Pushpa 2' was screened on December 4, leading to his subsequent arrest on December 13 and release. "As the Chief Minister, it is my responsibility to enforce the laws. I do not have any personal preferences. Let us all develop the film industry together without confining ourselves to Telugu only. Government is ready to extend all support to the film industry," official sources quoted the CM as saying.

Asserting that the cinema industry is as important to the government as the IT and pharma sectors, Reddy said a Cabinet Sub-Committee will be constituted to resolve the problems of the film industry. The government is considering organising a major convention to encourage other film industries to come to the city, he said.

"Our intention is to take the (Telugu movie) industry to the next level," the sources quoted the CM as saying. He also pointed out that the film industry should remember its social responsibility and join the efforts to check drugs and other societal problems. Venkata Ramana Reddy, popularly known as Dil Raju, said besides Telugu movies, shooting of movies of other languages, including Hindi, Tamil and Kannada, are also happening in the city. "So, the view of the CM is that the film industry should give suggestions to government to see that, not just Indian films but Hollywood films are also shot in Hyderabad," he told reporters after the meeting. Asked for the government's stance on allowing benefit shows and hiking ticket prices on special occasions, Dil Raju said they are only a "small part" of the issue and that the bigger vision is how to take Telugu cinema to the international level and to make Hyderabad city an "international hub".

"Time would throw light on all that," he said. When contacted, producer Daggubati Suresh who was part of the delegation which called on Revanth Reddy, said that permission for benefit shows and ticket price hike during the initial days of film release is not a necessary requirement for all filmmakers, but an individual production house.