KOCHI: Protesting against the huge loss and the crisis the Malayalam film industry is going through, film bodies on Thursday decided to go on a strike from June 1, demanding a relaxation in entertainment tax and a salary cut by the actors.
The decision was taken at a meeting of various organisations in the Malayalam film industry, including the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA), the Kerala Film Distributors Association, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala, and the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala, held on Thursday.
“We are facing a huge loss. If the situation continues, the producers will struggle. So we have decided to go on an indefinite strike from June 1. There will be no production or exhibition of films from June 1. It will be a total shutdown,” said Suresh Kumar, the president of the Film Chamber of Kerala.
“The remuneration of actors, technicians, and directors is high. And not every film is sold to OTT. The cost of producing a film as well as exhibiting a film has also increased. The state government should also cooperate by cutting double taxation and other costs,” he added.