Kamal Haasan Drops Truth Bomb on Cinema

Pointing out that India too, like the rest of the world, was feeling the impact of rising fuel, energy, logistics, and production costs as a result of the continuing crisis in West Asia, actor and parliamentarian Kamal Haasan on Friday underlined the need for the Indian film industry to evolve practical and sustainable operating practices for efficient filmmaking and urged the different stakeholders of the Indian film industry to have a conversation on how to collectively navigate the economic challenges that lay ahead.

Taking to his X timeline to share his thoughts on the issue, Kamal Haasan said, "The continuing crisis in West Asia is deepening and the world is facing growing pressure on energy, trade, logistics, and economic stability. India too is inevitably feeling the impact of rising fuel, energy, logistics, and production costs."

The versatile actor went on to add, "For the Indian film industry, this comes at a time when budgets are already escalating and market recoveries remain uneven. Rising costs will not affect film production alone. Consumer spending patterns for entertainment may also change in the months ahead due to inflationary pressures.The burden will inevitably fall on producers, workers, theatres, distributors, financiers, and the entire ecosystem. If cinema must continue to grow, we must ensure that every rupee spent serves the film, and not merely the appearance of scale."

However, the actor was clear that any correction in cinema economics must never come at the cost of workers' wages, safety, dignity, food, transport, accommodation, or humane working conditions.

"The burden cannot fall on those who labour the hardest. The correction we need is elsewhere: in avoidable waste, poor planning, inflated entourage culture, unnecessary foreign travel, production delays, and the growing disconnect between spending and purpose."

Calling for a meeting between the different stakeholders of the Indian film industry, Kamal Haasan said, "I believe this is the right time for a meeting of minds across the Indian cinema industry. I urge an industry-wide conversation between producers, actors, directors, unions, studios, exhibitors, distributors, OTT platforms, and guilds towards an industry-wide dialogue on how we collectively navigate the economic challenges ahead."

He went on to say, "Together, we must evolve practical and sustainable operating practices for efficient filmmaking: better shooting discipline, tighter schedules, reduced luxury and entourage expenses, limiting avoidable foreign travel where suitable local alternatives exist, conserving energy across sets and studios, and encouraging sustainable set construction and reuse of materials."

Stating that extravagance had often been mistaken for scale, the veteran actor, director and producer pointed out that some of our greatest films had been made not with excess, but with "clarity, discipline, and conviction."

"The national call for responsible consumption and collective discipline is a timely reminder that every sector must act with foresight and restraint in periods of global uncertainty. The Indian film industry too must rise to the occasion.This is a time for national interest over personal interest. Our industry shapes culture, influences thought, and reaches millions of people every single day; cinema carries responsibilities beyond entertainment alone. Those of us who have received the most from this industry must lead by example first. If we protect the economics of cinema today, we protect the future of cinema tomorrow," he said.