KOLKATA: The ink on the election results was barely dry when seven Tollywood producers shot an email to the EIMPA secretary. Citing a paralyzed industry and a shifting political tide, the producers have demanded a four-section emergency meeting within 72 hours, threatening the secretary with 'strict' retaliation if not convened.
Industry Aligns with New Political Reality
With the defeat of Aroop Biswas, the move signals how Tollywood is aligning itself with the saffron brigade. On Tuesday, EIMPA president Piyaa Sengupta scrubbed the organization of its TMC ties, rebranding it a 'non-political entity' that officially welcomed the new government. 'EIMPA welcomes the new government. We do not have any written MoU with Federation on taking technicians. We are in the process of drafting a letter to the Federation that its technician mandates will no longer be honored,' she said.
Rapid 'Social Distancing' from Federation President
The industry has begun a rapid 'social distancing' from Swarup Biswas as filmmakers race to align with the new regime. Many who were 'forced' to share 'apology videos' by Swarup believe that Tollywood deserves better than to be held hostage by a single man's ego. Actor Parambrata Chattopadhyay shared his experience: 'The federation president became a law unto himself, eclipsing both the industry and even the former chief minister. When our petition got dismissed in September after a long legal battle, I ran out of bandwidth to continue fighting. The federation under his command left me and many others, some of whom were even TMC sympathizers, out of work just because we refused to accept his bizarre diktat. I agreed to share the apology video as a truce to keep my company alive. There were people dependent on me and I had the knowledge that post-polls, even if TMC came to power, he would eventually be shown the door.'
He added that though he might 'not be aligned ideologically with the incoming dispensation,' he respects the people's mandate. 'If the new government can work towards the development of business and industries in the state, especially work towards the betterment of our industry, while accommodating differences in political ideology, and eradicate this 'ban culture', I will be the happiest,' he said.
Newly Elected Voice Declares End of 'Dictatorship'
Papia Adhikary, the newly elected voice of the constituency who defeated Aroop Biswas, has declared the Federation's era of 'dictatorship' over. Her roadmap for revival is aggressive, vowing to end the industry's culture of bans. 'Swarup is outright from the time I won the elections. We have to get the right people to probe into how Rahul Banerjee died. Those who stalled serials where Sabitri Chattopadhyay and Madhabi Mukherjee worked should have come forward and offered them roles. Just uttering some sentences to warm up the market won't work,' she said.
