Riya sen

Tollywood panel to set terms
KUSHALI NAG

Chokher Bali being shot at Technicians Studio
Zee Network is going ahead with its plan of taking over the government-run Technicians Studio while Tollywood gears up to fight the move.
The network has plans of dismantling parts of Technicians and building a “state-of-the-art” studio. The government had leased out the seven-acre property at 4 Baburam Ghosh Road to Zee a fortnight ago, but the final agreement is yet to be inked.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee “reacted sympathetically” to a Tollywood team that met him last week and voiced its concerns against privatisation. Zee, however, maintains that it has not been asked to stop work.
“The government had floated the tender and we placed the winning bid. The property was leased out to us a fortnight ago. The final agreement will be signed soon. If there were any changes, the government would have got back to us. We are readying our plan and design. It’s a Rs 200-crore project,” said Rajib Chatterjee, the senior vice-president and business head of the network.
Zee scotched rumours that a three-storeyed building will be constructed by razing floor No. 3 at Technicians, thus posing problems for film shoots.
“We will not do anything against the industry’s interests. We will have floors of various sizes. We are here to contribute to the growth of the Bengali film industry. The 33 people currently working at Technicians will be retained,” Chatterjee added.
Tollywood is also worried about rent hike and disruption of scheduled work. Currently, a day’s shoot at Technicians costs Rs 5,000. Bargaining often reduces the amount.
“We will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure, so the rent will naturally go up but it won’t be unaffordable. Besides, we won’t dismantle the studio at one go. We will start work in portions without disrupting film shoots,” Chatterjee said.
After last week’s meeting with the chief minister, Tollywood has formed a committee of producers, actors, directors and distributors. It is preparing a report on the industry’s demands regarding the probable infrastructure, fees and facilities of the studio.
“We are not against Zee taking over Technicians. But we have certain conditions, which we will present before the government. There’s no problem if Zee agrees to all our conditions,” said Goutam Ghose, film-maker and a member of Artistes’ Forum.
Funds for Tolly films: Tractor manufacturing giant Mahindra & Mahindra on Tuesday announced plans to invest in Tollywood.
“We will produce five Bengali films a year. Our first Tollywood project is Antaheen, an urban multiplex film, while our second Shukno Lanka will bridge the urban-rural gap,” said Indranil Chakraborty, the chief operating officer of Mumbai Mantra, Mahindra’s film production wing.