Artistes association to adopt film cost-cutting measures in Chennai

CHENNAI: With the 48-day industry shutdown called by Tamil Film Producers Council ending, members of South Indian Artistes’ Association (Nadigar Sangam) met to discuss ways of bringing down the production cost to help producers. Industry insiders say that at least part of the discussion was related to actors reducing their salaries to suit the budget of the film.Nasser, sangam president, clarified that the association gathering was an internal affair, when  members discussed about their potential contributions to the industry revamp.

”Probably for the first time in the history of the association, several artistes met, and voiced their grievances. Quite some internal issues regarding bringing down the production costs were discussed. By ensuring complete transparency all around the industry, we plan to bring in some new changes to the system,” he said.

According to a source, some fo the issues discussed were as follows: assistants, costume-designers, and hairstylists to be paid as per the regulations set by FEFSI; when actors participate in award shows/star nights, the respective organisations to make a fitting donation to Nadigar Sangam: with computerisation of ticketing made mandatory throughout the industry from June 1, all actors to be furnished with comprehensive reports of their films’ box-office collections. With time, Nadigar Sangam hopes that actors will adjust remuneration according to their market value.