Producers want stars off roads

Hyderabad, April 6: Tollywood producers are worried about actors losing their “mystique” by doing too many political road shows.

Actors doing road shows are addressing even small gatherings in villages and this overexposure is sullying their image, producers complain.
“For instance, actor Dr Rajsekhar had appeared in too many TV shows and interviews and we think this was the reason why his recent movie did not do well,” said Mr Vijayendar Reddy, secretary of the AP Film Chamber of Commerce. “If people see stars every now and then, they may lose their fascination.”
To keep the mystique intact and to improve box office collections, the AP Film Producers’ Council has suggested that actors restrict themselves to TV promotions of political parties.
The road shows have also forced many producers to postpone shooting schedules. Also actors sometimes get caught in accidents during road shows and this will affect the industry.
“Actress Soundarya died in a helicopter crash during a campaign in the last general election,” said Mr Thamma Reddy Bharadwaja, president of the AP Film Producers’ Council.
“A few years ago, senior actor Krishna was hurt in an accident. This time Junior NTR met with an
accident.”
He added that producers are suffering from huge losses since shootings have been stopped because of the election campaign.
Producers also feel that it is not good for actors to be identified with a particular party since it would affect their fan following.
“With Balakrishna supporting Telugu Desam and Chiranjeevi starting his own party, supporters of Praja Rajyam may not watch Balakrishna’s movies now,” said Mr Bharadwaja. “The same is the case with young actors. We are here for entertainment and we should restrict ourselves to that.”