Why ‘Memu Saitham’ fund-raiser turned out to be nothing more than a ‘personal event’
Not so well played: Manoj Manchu, Nithiin and others at the fund-raiser
Hyderabad: The ‘Memu Saitham’ event organised by the Telugu film industry, to raise funds for the Hudhud victims, has revealed discontentment and differences of opinion in the industry, with many now saying that it was simply, a “flop show”.
Stars and insiders claim the all-day event was organised in a tearing hurry and blame lack of proper organisation for the measly Rs 11.5 crore collected. “To start with, the stadium where the cricket matches were played was not given for free, even when the venue was not hosting any other event during the time.
The organisers ended up paying nearly Rs 7.5 lakh for the stadium. If they had asked the government properly, it would have been given for free,” a highly-placed source claims.
There’s also the case of the mysterious power shutdown, which lasted for an unprecedented two-and-half hours, during a match. “For electricity, they then called in outdoor film units and diverted nearly 12 generators to the stadium,” added the source.
The stadium authorities also asked the organisers to get permission from the CM’s office, which led to some last-minute running around. “I believe, if they had included the Telangana government and called some important ministers for the event, it would have been better,” says the producer, who didn’t want to be named.
Local MLA and film producer Maganti Babu was also not invited, despite donating lakhs for Hudhud relief, added the source. Most film personalities attended the event on their own accord and relied on hearsay, with organisers failing to send out invites. And that’s why some of the top directors weren’t present.
There were also several changes made to the event’s final schedule and to a list of programmes. The organisers had announced a tambola game, which never took place and they had also announced lucky draws, including a luxury car as the grand prize that too had to be cancelled as there weren’t enough tickets sold online.
And though the organisers had announced that it would be a 12-hour-long live programme, half of the programmes had been recorded well in advance and telecast on the day.
( Source : dc )
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