A well-known producer in Tollywood is selling his films as three- or four-film packages to overseas buyers for a huge sum.
Well, there is nothing wrong with that in principle. But the shocking factor is that the producer himself does not know whether those films will actually materialise or not.
Yes, certain projects come into the news as early buzz and some reach the discussion stage.
The producer lures overseas buyers by talking about the combination of hero and director and sells them at a time as a package.
Not stopping there, there is another bigger level to this. He sells the same combinations to other overseas buyers as well.
When the films finally materialise, he adjusts between the two buyers, allotting North America to one and the rest of the world to the other. If the projects do not take off, he parks some other film that is in the pipeline.
This is like taking money without actually selling a product, purely on a future promise filled with uncertainty. The gamble for the overseas buyers is based only on trust and lure.
This practice has been happening for quite a long time, and now it is crossing limits and testing the patience of overseas buyers. They have started complaining.