BLAST DEEPENS KERALA FILM INDUSTRY CRISIS
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PNS
The Pioneer
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Idukki - An explosion on the sets of a movie at the hill resort of
Kuttikkanam in Idukki district on Monday further complicated the
crisis besieging the Kerala film industry. Two vehicles of the
production team were damaged in the blast that occurred around 3.30
am on Monday at a hotel in Kuttikkanam where the team was putting up.
There were no casualties.
The Kerala State Film Producers' Association and the Film Employees
Federation of Kerala (Fefka) were quick to suspect Macta (Malayalam
Cine-Technicians' Association) Federation for the blast. But Macta
Federation leader and film director Vinayan said the accusation was
borne out of the "distorted thoughts" of those organisations. The
producers' association said they would have to think of withdrawing
from the business totally, if incidents like these continued to
happen.
Preliminary investigations suggested that the explosives used for the
blast were quarry-grade. The police recovered normal quarry-grade
fuses from the blast site. A forensic team from Kochi inspected the
site and collected samples to be sent to the forensic laboratory in
Thiruvananthapuram for analysis. Police dog squad from Idukki also
inspected the area but failed to sniff out any clues.
Sources in the industry said the blast had vitiated the situation in
the film production sector just when efforts to end the multi-pronged
problems in the industry were beginning to bear fruits. The film
producers had suspended production of new ventures, distribution
companies had stopped releasing new movies on April 16, and the
exhibitors had closed their halls on May 1, in the wake of rising
costs and diminishing returns.
The main reason for the stalemate was the disproportionate
remunerations being drawn by superstars like Mohanlal and Mammootty,
but hopes of an end to the crisis had dawned last weekend with AMMA
(Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes) agreeing to lower
remunerations of actors drawing more than Rs 3,00,000 per project by
25 per cent. This and some other proposals had led to the withdrawal
of the "agitations" by various associations and shooting, releasing
and exhibiting had resumed last weekend.
However, industry sources were apprehensive that the blast on Monday,
the allegations by the producers and Fefka and the objections aired
by others were now threatening to start another turbulent phase in
the industry. "I don't know how the producers' association and Fefka
could so quickly come to the conclusion that Macta was behind the
blast," said a producer. The Macta Federation has been agitating
against the refusal of jobs to its members and this had led to
stalling of shooting in more than one location earlier.
Shafir Seit, production controller of movie Athmakatha, on the sets
of which the blast took place, said he had reason to suspect Macta
Federation with respect to the blast. He said there was a scuffle on
the sets of the same movie when some Macta members came there with
demand for jobs two weeks ago. B Unnikrishnan, general secretary of
the Fefka, also expressed similar opinion.
But director Vinayan called for a detailed investigation into the
blast, saying Fefka and the producers' association were in the habit
of blaming his outfit.
http://dailypioneer.com/254917/Blast-deepens-Kerala-film-industry-crisis.html
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Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
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