February 19, 2012 Y. Sunita Chowdhary
There has been announcement of films every year to give a boost to the Telangana Movement, but how many of them have actually created an impact by pulling the crowds to the theatre? Recently producer of Inkennallu cried foul on the Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce and withdrew his film from handful theatres as it was not facilitated a proper release.
He says, "Certain leaders are exercising their power as I didn't use their photos or clippings in the film like others did. Another grouse is that I portrayed that the Telangana people from 1947 have been and are being exploited by none other than the Doras of Telangana, they have kept them in their grip without encouraging literacy, supressed them and sold all the contracts to the Andhra people. The real villains are in Telangana. Inkenallu was made for the middle class and lower lower middle class and not for big lords."
V. Nageswar Rao, Secretary of Telangana Film Distributors, avers that Inkenallu was removed from the theatres as there were no collections; Rafi couldn't meet the minimum expenditure. "Whether it is Telangana or Andhra, people will see a film only if it is good. Shankar's film Jai Bolo Telangana did well, apart from that not one movie on the issue could make an impact. Aren't people seeing Tamil dubbed films?"
Acoording to the AP Film Chamber, in 2010 only two films released..Veera Telangana and Komaram Bheem. Jai Bolo Telangana, Poru Telangana in 2011 and Jai Telangana and Inkenallu in 2012. The last fresh announcement was Ratanala Veena and Kolimi.
Rafi expresses his anguish and says he learnt many things while and after making the film. "People scream Jai Telangana and they don't know why they need it, the real people who need it don't know the need of Telangana and the politicians are making use of these people for their interests. Narayana Murthy's film didn't get an opening but they wantingly re-released it on the day Inkenaalu was screened, sheer politics this!"
Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce President Vijender Reddy says what matters is not even the story but the quality of the picture, if it is technically good. He says, "The small budget producers lack the resouces to release it, the opening collections are so dismal and where would one get the money to maintain the theatre and pay taxes?
Hardly 300 people seeing such films, a producer requires at least an average of twenty lakhs to spend on publicity here his production cost for the entire film is only 20 lakhs, so where can he spend on publicity and how can he attract audiences? In Inkennallu technical quality was poor, night scenes were not visible, morning scenes looked like night. We have given them enough theatres but he coudn't capitalise on it."
Rafi states that the Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce is being controlled by a few big families but never mind he is hellbent on releasing and screening the film free of cost if situation doesn't favour him. "They are ignorant, can't understand the ambience of 1947 and are talking of technical quality. I want to expose this whole concept of fooling public with wrong messages. Dictatorship should end."
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