{"id":578609,"date":"2026-09-28T18:46:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T13:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/?p=578609"},"modified":"2026-09-28T18:46:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T13:16:36","slug":"o-andala-rakshasi-hero-shiraz-mehdi-about-suppresssion-of-small-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/o-andala-rakshasi-hero-shiraz-mehdi-about-suppresssion-of-small-films\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018O Andala Rakshasi\u2019 Hero Shiraz Mehdi About Suppresssion Of Small Films"},"content":{"rendered":"

We Won\u2019t Stay Silent If Small Films Are Suppressed\u201d: \u2018O Andala Rakshasi\u2019 Hero Shiraz Mehdi<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25aa\ufe0f \u201cMafia is ruling the film industry\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/em>
\n\u25aa\ufe0f \u201cFraud and exploitation at every step\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/em>
\n\u25aa\ufe0f \u201cI will re-release the film soon at any cost\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hyderabad:<\/span>
\nAlleging that discrimination against small films has reached an alarming level in the Telugu film industry, filmmaker and actor Shiraz Mehdi, who made and played the lead in O Andala Rakshasi, expressed serious anguish and anger over the difficulties faced by small producers in securing theatres.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking at a media conference held at Prasads Labs in Hyderabad, Shiraz Mehdi said he had made the film with the support of several people and experienced technicians and was confident that it could achieve strong results if given a proper theatrical release.<\/span><\/p>\n

He alleged that small films are being denied adequate theatres, causing severe financial losses to producers and directors. He said he had already addressed more than 40 press conferences and given over 50 interviews regarding the problems surrounding the theatrical release of his film.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cQube and UFO are exploiting small producers\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shiraz Mehdi alleged that small producers are being charged large amounts in the name of censor-related procedures and the ADCC process.<\/span><\/p>\n

He further alleged that digital cinema service providers Qube and UFO were charging around \u20b910,000 to \u20b912,000 per theatre for services that, according to him, could be provided for around \u20b92,000 a week. He claimed that such practices were placing an additional financial burden on small producers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Criticism of the Film Chamber<\/span><\/p>\n

Shiraz Mehdi also criticised the functioning of the Telugu Film Chamber, alleging that it was not adequately supporting small producers and directors.<\/span><\/p>\n

He claimed that leading multiplex chains, including INOX, PVR and Asian Films, had initially assured the team that theatres would be provided but later backed out. He said legal notices had been issued in connection with the matter and that notices had also been issued by the High Court.<\/span><\/p>\n

Appeal to CM Revanth Reddy<\/span><\/p>\n

Shiraz Mehdi appealed to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to look into what he described as mafia-like practices in the film industry and take steps to protect small films.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also sought welfare measures, including health insurance, for drivers, makeup artists, technicians, junior artists and other workers associated with the film industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

He said that even if he faced threats or personal risks, he would continue his fight for the rights of small films. He stated that he was prepared to organise 100 press conferences and rallies if necessary and expressed confidence that he would ultimately succeed in bringing O Andala Rakshasi before audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several personalities from the film, legal and security sectors who attended the event also expressed concern over the alleged difficulties faced by O Andala Rakshasi in securing theatres. They stressed the need to protect small films and provide them with fair opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSmall producers are being sacrificed\u201d: Producer Ahmed<\/span><\/p>\n

Producer Ahmed strongly criticised the situation faced by small producers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSmall films and small producers are not receiving even basic respect and opportunities in the industry. Producers spend huge amounts of money and work extremely hard to make films, but when theatres are not provided, they suffer enormous losses. If this system of exploitation does not change, small producers will be pushed into serious financial distress,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive good films a chance to survive\u201d: Jabardasth Parthu<\/span><\/p>\n

Jabardasth Parthu said it was unfortunate that a film with good content was struggling to get theatres.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is disappointing that such a good film is not getting adequate theatres. Films made with so much hard work should not be prevented from reaching audiences. If the industry has to grow, small films must also be encouraged and given an opportunity to survive,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFilm Chamber should respond and take the issue to the government\u201d: Retired ACP Laxman<\/span><\/p>\n

Retired ACP Laxman said that when a small film is suppressed, several families dependent on the project could be affected.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany families are connected to a film. If a small film is pushed aside, those families can be severely affected. O Andala Rakshasi is a very good film. The Film Chamber and industry elders should extend their full support to such films. Everyone concerned should come together and take these issues to the Cinematography Minister and work towards a solution,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shailaja, who was also present at the meeting, extended her full support to the film team.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKnow the industry before entering it\u201d: High Court Advocate and Producer R.V. Reddy<\/span><\/p>\n

High Court advocate and producer R.V. Reddy spoke about what he described as loopholes in the film industry and shared his own experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

He claimed that industry representatives had taken money promising around 200 theatres, but the film was ultimately released in only about 60 theatres, resulting in a loss of approximately \u20b910 crore.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cComing into the industry without understanding how it works was our mistake. New producers and directors should not enter the industry blindly without understanding its realities,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

R.V. Reddy further alleged that a significant portion of the industry is controlled by what he described as a \u201cmafia\u201d and claimed that inexperienced producers can lose their hard-earned money.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBefore investing in a film, producers should understand the market, distribution system and the basic functioning of the industry. Many people may promise that a film can be made with \u20b950 lakh or \u20b91 crore, but the real challenges emerge during direction, production and, most importantly, distribution,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

He added that aspiring producers should acquire a clear understanding of the industry’s market conditions before investing, while noting that many new directors enter the industry with the ambition of building a career rather than with an intention to deceive.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We Won\u2019t Stay Silent If Small Films Are Suppressed\u201d: \u2018O Andala Rakshasi\u2019 Hero Shiraz Mehdi \u25aa\ufe0f \u201cMafia is ruling the film industry\u201d \u25aa\ufe0f \u201cFraud and exploitation at every step\u201d \u25aa\ufe0f \u201cI will re-release the film soon at any cost\u201d Hyderabad: Alleging that discrimination against small films has reached an alarming level in the Telugu film […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":578611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,17],"tags":[67921,71676],"yst_prominent_words":[54397,8910,52622,8999,8922,9008,9918,11506],"class_list":["post-578609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-slideshow","tag-o-andala-rakshasi","tag-shiraz-mehdi"],"read":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":578612,"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578609\/revisions\/578612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578609"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/industryhit.com\/t\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=578609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}