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Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday said that the state government would allow an increase in ticket prices during the release of major films on the condition that 20 per cent of the profit earned through such hikes is contributed to a welfare fund for cine workers. He said this measure was intended to ensure that technicians, junior artists and daily-wage labourers get a share of the success of high-grossing films instead of the gains being confined to producers and lead actors.The Chief Minister also unveiled several initiatives for the welfare of film industry workers while addressing a meeting of cine workers at the Police Grounds in Yousufguda. The meeting, in the poll-bound Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency, assumed political significance, given the presence of 25,000 voters representing the Telugu film industry.Revanth Reddy said the state government would issue orders mandating that 20 per cent of additional box office collections from films benefiting from ticket price hikes be transferred to the film workers’ welfare fund. He added the government would finalise further welfare initiatives for cine workers in November.Telangana Film Development Corporation chairman ‘Dil’ Raju has been tasked with studying the living conditions of film workers and submitting a report which would form the basis for the additional initiatives.Revanth Reddy said that Hyderabad would be developed as a world-class film hub on par with Hollywood, and stated that the government would extend equal priority to the film industry as it does to the IT and pharma sectors. He appealed to producers, including those making small and medium-budget films, to prefer Telangana as a shooting destination and promised all necessary support.The Chief Minister said the government would allocate ₹10 crore to the film workers’ welfare fund. He also revealed plans to establish a corporate-standard school to provide free education from nursery to Class 12 for children of cine workers, including free breakfast and lunch. Revanth Reddy directed the film workers’ union to identify suitable land in Krishnanagar for the proposed school.He announced that all cine workers would be brought under the coverage of the Arogyasri health insurance scheme. The government, he said, would extend financial assistance for constructing the Film Workers’ Association Bhavan and provide land in the upcoming Bharat Future City to set up a Cine Fighters Training Centre.The Chief Minister also announced that the fast-growing Telugu film industry will be featured as a special chapter in the 'Telangana Rising 2047 Vision Document' to promote Hyderabad as a global centre for film production. Recalling the contributions of legendary actors N.T. Rama Rao, A. Nageshwara Rao, Krishna, Shobhan Babu and Prabhakar Reddy, as well as the efforts of then Chief Minister Marri Chenna Reddy’s efforts towards strengthening the film industry, Revanth Reddy said the Congress government had revived the annual film awards, now named after the balladeer Gaddar, after a decade-long gap to honour excellence in cinema.
