Date:10/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/10/stories/2006121018220300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Producers oppose trade unionism in film industry

Staff Reporter

No new film to be launched till row with okkoota is resolved

Okkoota accused of holding producers to `ransom'

Kannada industry lost over Rs. 100 crore since January

BANGALORE: Unambiguously stating that trade unionism should not be encouraged in the Kannada cinema industry, the Kannada Film Producers' Association (KFPA) has said that no new Kannada film will be launched until the row between the association and the Karnataka Chalanachitra Kalavidara Tantrajnara mattu Karmikara Okkoota is sorted out.

This was stated by the KFPA at a hurriedly convened press conference attended by major producers and artistes such as KCN Chandrashekhar, S.V. Rajendra Singh, Jai Jagadeesh, Rockline Venkatesh, S.R. Govindu, Vishnuvaradhan, Srinath (MLC), Sudeep, Darshan and Ramesh here on Saturday.

The press conference gains significance as the talks held between various organisations, including artistes' association and the okkoota, reportedly failed to find an amicable solution to the ongoing row.

Mr. Vishnuvardhan said that the issue perturbed artistes but they did not want to take sides as both the producers and workers formed important organs of the industry.

KFPA president Sandesh Nagaraju alleged that the Okkoota, a federation of over 14 cinema-related organisations, had been holding the producers to "ransom" and attempting to exercise its hegemony over the industry.

Holding okkoota president Ashok responsible for the problem, he said that Mr. Ashok had been behaving like an "authoritarian" by imposing several unprecedented conditions on the producers in the pretext of protecting workers' rights.

Mr. Nagaraju said that KFPA was not against workers nor it had attempted to curb their justifiable rights. But imposing many conditions such as restricting producers from using their personal transport and drivers for professional purposes betrayed logic and reasoning, he said. "The KFPA has no problems with workers or individual organisations. When each organisation has its own president, where is the need for Mr. Ashok to form the okkoota and what right he has in dictating terms to the subordinate organisations," Mr. Nagaraju asked.

Mr. Rajendra Singh said that the Kannada industry had produced 70 films since January and lost over Rs. 100 crore. But the okkoota's "interference" in the industry's commerce and politicking would take Kannada cinema to point of "annihilation," he added.