On the occasion of legendary film producer Atluri Purnachandra Rao’s 90th birthday, ace producer Dil Raju spoke candidly from the dais.
He observed that the era when producers commanded respect has faded.
“Producers give and artistes take. Those who take usually respect the giver, and the giver commands authority. But now the trend has reversed, and artistes are commanding the producers,” he remarked.
Well, this is the blatant truth in this hero-driven industry. Producers are left only to take responsibility and face financial pressures, and that too without respect, while star heroes command the full attention, money, and control over the project, including the decisions on heroines, music directors, directors, and other artistes.
Though this is an observable fact, something of this sort coming directly from ace producer Dil Raju has sparked attention.
Well, who brought this situation? By not controlling the whims and fancies of the heroes and by succumbing to their demands, the producers themselves made the star heroes into dinosaurs.
There were days when NTR and ANR also had huge fan followings, but still they used to be under the command of producers.
Now things have changed only because the producers themselves brought this scenario. So, Dil Raju’s words are taken not with sympathy but as “swayam krutaparadham.”