Tamil Producers Council to cease all film-related activity from Nov 1, blames star actors for incomplete projects

The Tamil Film Producers’ Council (TFPC) has released new guidelines to enhance its operations in the Tamil film industry. The council aims to restructure and regulate expenditures related to actors’ salaries and other production expenses to maintain the financial health of the Tamil film industry.

Under the new regulations, big-star movies will now need to wait eight weeks following their theatrical debut before they can be made available on OTT services.

Producers have time till October 30 to complete all ongoing shoots and projects, following which all film-related activities, including the starting of new projects, will cease between November 1, 2024, and August 16, 2025.

In order to prevent financial losses for producers, the council seeks to look into issues with the compensation of technicians and actors.

Actor Dhanush is facing backlash from the TFPC and theater owners who have alleged that the star actor accepted advance payments from multiple producers but did not show up for shoots on the scheduled dates.

The council has advised producers to approach them before enlisting Dhanush for any new projects. Sri Thenandal Films, owned by Rama Narayanan, alleged that in 2023, Dhanush took an advance but failed to show up for the shoot.

“In the situation where Dhanush has received advance payments from several producers, the producers are requested to consult the Tamil Film Producers' Association before starting work on new films starring actor Dhanush.,” the association said.

The TFPC has denounced the broader practice of artists and technicians accepting advances, then moving on to new projects before finishing their existing ones. This method frequently causes large financial losses for producers, the council said.

To address all industry-related issues, a Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising producers, distributors, and theatre owners has been established.