In August 2022, the Telugu film industry went on a bandh. All shoots were canceled for a period of one month because big producers were engaged in discussing the strategies that could help reduce production costs. During the bandh, Dil Raju said that new releases must mandatorily follow an eight-week gap between the theatrical and OTT release of movies. Two years hence, the so-called consensual decision has remained only on paper.
In the latest instance, Dil Raju opined that producers themselves have "ruined" the audience by presenting post-theatrical releases on streaming platforms within four weeks. He meant to say that the audience have been pampered. He made the remarks in the context of theatrical releases finding it extremely hard to attract audiences to cinema halls.
The Telugu film industry lacks the will and unity to enforce decisions made by industry bodies. "Telugu producers agree to do one thing in meetings and do the exact opposite when they go back," producer Bunny Vasu recently said.
