In shadow of Allu Arjun’s arrest, Telangana CM tells Tollywood biggies ‘no compromise on law and order’

HYDERABAD: There will be no compromise on law and order in the state and it applies to everyone including the film fraternity, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy told a delegation of veteran actors and directors of the Telugu cinema industry on Thursday during a meeting here.

The CM also conveyed to the delegation, led by ace producer and Telangana Film Development Corporation (FDC) Chairman Venkata Ramana Reddy, that a Cabinet Sub-Committee will be constituted to resolve the problems of the film industry and suggested that they should also set up an in-house panel.

The meeting between the CM and the film personalities was held at the Police Integrated Command Control Centre here and comes in the wake of actor Allu Arjun's recent arrest that had led to speculations of 'strained' ties between the Congress-led state government and the cinema industry post the police action against the 'Pushpa' star.

A 35-year-old woman died at Sandhya Theatre here in a stampede where Allu Arjun's blockbuster 'Pushpa 2' was screened on December 4, leading to his subsequent arrest on December 13 and release.

The delegation included actors --Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, and Murali Mohan and directors -- Trivikram Srinivas, and K Raghavendra Rao and producers --Daggubati Suresh, Allu Aravind (father of Allu Arjun) and C Kalyan.

"As the Chief Minister, it is my responsibility to enforce the law. I do not have any personal preferences", official sources quoted the CM as saying. They noted that Reddy also asked all to develop the film industry together without confining themselves to Telugu only.

According to some delegation members, the Allu Arjun case did not come up during the meeting. However, there was no official word on the deliberations.

"The government is ready to extend all support to the film industry," the CM said, asserting that the cinema industry is as important to the government as the IT and pharma sectors.

Reddy said the Cabinet Sub-Committee would be constituted to resolve the problems of the film industry and that the government was also considering organising a major convention to encourage other film industries to come to the city.

"We intend to take the (Telugu movie) industry to the next level," the sources quoted the CM as saying.

The chief minister also pointed out that the film industry should remember its social responsibility and join the efforts to check drugs and other societal problems.

Venkata Ramana Reddy, popularly known as Dil Raju, said besides Telugu movies, the shooting of movies in other languages, including Hindi, Tamil and Kannada, is also happening in the city.

"So, the view of the CM is that the film industry should give suggestions to the government to see that, not just Indian films but Hollywood films are also shot in Hyderabad," he told reporters after the meeting.

Asked about the government's stance on allowing benefit shows and hiking ticket prices on special occasions, Dil Raju said they are only a "small part" of the issue and that the bigger vision is how to take Telugu cinema to the international level and to make Hyderabad city an "international hub".

"Time would throw light on all that," he said.

When contacted, producer Daggubati Suresh, who was part of the delegation, told PTI that permission for benefit shows and ticket price hikes during the initial days of film release was not a requirement for all filmmakers, but for some production houses.

A senior police official, who attended the meeting, told PTI that the "Pushpa 2" theatre incident did not figure in the meeting.

Reacting to the meeting, BRS MLA T Harish Rao said people of the state and those in the film industry are observing what is happening.

"You should win over hearts with love and affection and not by intimidation. All should think good for the state," Harish Rao, nephew of former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, said.

He spoke to reporters at the hospital where the eight-year-old boy, who suffered injuries in the stampede, is undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, Geetha Arts, the film production company owned by Allu Arjun’s father Allu Aravind, expressed gratitude to the state government, Chief Minister and ministers for their "visionary leadership and steadfast support" in advancing the Telugu film industry on the global stage.

"As an industry, we are united in our dedication to supporting the government's progressive initiatives, raising awareness on crucial social issues, and promoting the various welfare programs initiated by the state", it said on social media platform X.

Mythri Movie Makers, the producers of "Pushpa", also thanked the Chief Minister and the ministers for their "visionary leadership and steadfast encouragement" towards the growth of the Telugu film industry on a global scale.

Asserting that there would not be any benefit shows (special shows), Cinematography minister Komatireddi Venkat Reddy recently said the state government may consider ticket price hikes only for certain categories such as films made on history, freedom struggle or others like those with messages against the use of drugs.

The minister’s statement, if implemented, will have a huge impact on the high budget films such as Ram Charan's "Game Changer", Nandamuri Balakrishna's "Daaku Maharaj" and Venkatesh's "Sankranthiki Vasthunnam" which are slated for release during Sankranti in three weeks from now.

Directed by popular Director S Shankar, Game Changer is produced by Dil Raju. The film is reportedly made with a budget of nearly Rs 400 crore.