The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : `Flashback' is the villain!

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 17, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

`Flashback' is the villain!

By W. Chandrakanth

HYDERABAD, NOV. 16. The Telugu film industry will have to sweat it out! There is no way it could convince the Congress Government to add teeth to the piracy law at the earliest, all because of a `flashback'.

Stalwarts of the Movie Artistes' Association (MAA) even met the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, recently to plead for comprehensive changes to the Andhra Pradesh Exhibition of Films and Television Screening through Video Cassette Recorder Regulation Act to prevent piracy of new films. The latter promised a positive response.

Though the Chief Minister raised the issue at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, he reportedly faced bitter resistance from his colleagues. Stopping him midway, they recalled the anti-Congress role played by the film industry during the recent general elections. "Should there be a hurry in conferring favours on them?"

Ministers' contention

Some Ministers recalled the pro-TDP stand of the Telugu film industry in spite the fact that the industry got all the benefits under successive Congress Governments. Not one recognisable face of the silver screen agreed to give `dates' to Dr. Reddy for electioneering except those associated with the party since long. Perhaps a couple of artistes were all that it could mobilise in its favour, they said.

Recalling the TDP's electronic electioneering that featured many artistes, the Ministers are said to have reasoned that the film industry should be given no benefits now in a hurry.

More so when it was much cheaper for the families to watch the films at home than go to theatres and burn holes in their pockets! Instead, ticket prices in theatres must be brought down, some argued.

The Chief Minister ordered a `pack-up' altering the script!

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