Stars salaries in crores and workers wages in thousands in Tollywood

The ongoing demand by the employees of the film industry demanding 30% hike in their wages brought back the disparity between stars salaries and workers wages.

While top stars are getting Rs 120crs, workers are getting maximum Rs 3500. “Bringing superstar salaries into comparison with worker wages is unwarranted,” said producer B.V.S.N. Prasad. “These stars started small and reached their positions through years of hard work. Would you compare a CEO’s salary with that of an office boy? We pay more than Chennai or Kerala.”

He says “The timing is the biggest problem,” Prasad said. “Demanding a 30% hike when the industry is in turmoil has only prolonged the stalemate.”

Suresh Babu says “We do empathize with workers and are willing to hold discussions. We prefer a ‘rationalized approach’ instead of a steep hike. A transport employee makes close to Rs 1 lakh per month,” He adds “For big producers, the hike may be manageable, but smaller producers could be driven out. We want accountability — the days of workers idling on sets while drawing full wages are over.”

Coordination committee chairman Veera Shankar said 80% of the Federation’s demands have already been approved by producers. “Some members feel the proposed hikes favour those earning under Rs 2,000 and neglect higher earners, which they see as divisive. But discussions have been fruitful, and we expect an amicable solution soon. Producers agree that lower-paid workers are struggling, while some in higher brackets are comfortable. We would find an amicable solution to be fair to wage earners with with few more rounds of discussions. ”