Chennai: Actor-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and submitted a detailed memorandum seeking urgent policy interventions to revive and protect the Tamil film industry amid mounting financial and structural pressures.
Although Makkal Needhi Maiam did not contest the recent Assembly elections, Kamal Haasan’s meeting with Vijay drew significant attention across Tamil cinema and political circles as it focused entirely on the future of the entertainment industry and the livelihoods of thousands dependent on it.
One of the key demands raised by Kamal Haasan was the launch of a government-owned OTT platform dedicated to promoting Tamil films, independent cinema and documentaries. He reportedly argued that such a platform could make quality cinema accessible to ordinary viewers at subsidised rates while also supporting smaller filmmakers struggling to survive in the rapidly changing digital market.
He also urged the state government to completely abolish the existing four per cent local body entertainment tax, arguing that rising production costs and increasing theatre operational expenses had pushed the industry into a severe financial crisis.
Kamal Haasan further called for aggressive action against film piracy, which he said was destroying the hard work of thousands of artists and technicians while causing massive financial losses to producers. He proposed the formation of a specialised anti-piracy enforcement team under the Tamil Nadu Police cybercrime division with powers to immediately remove pirated content circulating online.
The memorandum also sought permission for theatres to screen five shows a day to improve revenue generation. In another major recommendation, Kamal Haasan urged the government to make an eight-week gap mandatory between theatrical releases and OTT streaming in order to protect theatre owners and distributors.
He additionally appealed for new state-backed film production incentive schemes aimed at transforming Tamil Nadu into one of India’s leading filmmaking hubs while boosting tourism and employment opportunities.