Hyderabad: Friday’s AP Film Chamber of Commerce general body meeting saw heated arguments between producers from Andhra and Telangana. While the agenda was to change the name from AP Film Chamber of Commerce (APFCC) to Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, the Telangana producers raised objections and demanded a separate building as well as a share in the revenues.
Vijayender Reddy, president of Hyderabad Film Chamber of Commerce (HFCC), blamed the AP Film Chamber of Commerce, which is dominated by Andhra filmmakers.
“The majority is from Andhra and the members don’t want to recognise or encourage Telangana. We are demanding a division of everything along the lines of the state’s bifurcation. We (Telangana filmmakers) want to represent our government and they will represent the AP government. So we boycotted today’s meeting and whatever decisions they take today is not valid,” he said.
Apart from him, Sana Yadireddy, Allani Sridhar and Shiv Kumar, who represent the Hyderabad Film Chamber of Commerce and Telangana Cinema Chamber of Commerce (TCCC), also accused the AP Film Chamber of Commerce of not recognising Telangana cinema. “I don’t know whether it’s coincidental or deliberate, but in AP, the Chamber has its own buildings in cities such as Tirupati, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.”
“In Hyderabad, the APFCC is running from a rented building. They never planned on separate buildings in Telangana districts as they mostly concentrate on Andhra cities,” added Vijayender, accusing the APFCC of not having any offices in 10 Telangana districts.
Sana Yadireddy, meanwhile, said that they were only asking for a separate office and not opposing Telugu cinema. “The culture is completely different for the two states. We want to develop Telangana cinema, so we are asking for a separate office and our share of revenues. We will represent our government,” he says.
If the APFCC does not relent, the filmmakers said that they would approach the Telangana government and also take legal action.
APFCC president N.V. Prasad has dismissed the Telangana producers’ claims.
“They already have a separate chamber as Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce. In this general body meeting, majority of people agreed to change the name from AP to Telugu,” says Prasad.
Burugupalli Sivaramakrishna, who is the secretary of APFCC, too, says members are “speaking without any knowledge”.
“APFCC is not a commercial body. It’s an association like any other co-operative society and it can’t be divided on the basis of revenue. And, the name change should allow us to represent both the governments,” says Burugupalli.
