Kolkata: Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari has asked four Tollywood actors-turned-BJP MLAs — Rudranil Ghosh, Rupa Ganguly, Hiraan Chatterjee and Papia Adhikary — to sort out issues in the industry. At a meeting held with the CM on Wednesday, matters regarding the friction in Tollywood were discussed in the presence of Ghosh, Ganguly and Chatterjee on Wednesday.After the election results, Tollywood has been facing uncertainty over which rules now apply. In the television industry, there is confusion about whether permission is still required for night shoots. In film production, there is no clarity on whether Kolkata still enforces the rule mandating a minimum number of technicians on set and double wages for Bollywood shoots. It is also unclear whether international production units must continue paying four times the standard wages to work in Bengal. Multiple voices have been trying to throw their weight around and claiming that some norms have been abolished. Ghosh told TOI that such attempts have not gone unnoticed. “In Tollywood, some individuals are still trying to create isolated chaos and take control. This is part of their old habit. To ensure that no one else faces such issues and to maintain an environment for independent and impartial work, three-four experienced representatives from Tollywood will discuss with govt officers responsible for cultural affairs. They will present the reality and collectively plan out solutions so that everyone can work in a fearless and pressure-free environment. This is the CM’s directive,” he said.Ghosh’s film, ‘The Academy of Fine Arts’, has secured screening slots at Nandan and Radha Studio. “I will be visiting Nandan on Friday,” Ghosh said. Director Jayabrata Das said the film faced major difficulties during its release in Nov last year. According to him, many discouraged the team from applying to screen at a govt-run theatre, saying a Rudranil Ghosh film would not be accepted. So they did not apply then. Das said no response came until May 4, after the film was re-released in Feb this year and a fresh application was submitted for a screening at Nandan. “Another application was filed on May 5. That day, Nandan officials verbally informed us that the committee that reviewed the film in Feb had found it unsuitable for screening, though no reasons were given. On May 12, we were told the film had been approved. I believe the film was cleared because the previous govt is no longer in office,” Das said.
