Kerala Film Industry Announces Indefinite Strike Over Actors’ Salaries

The Kerala film industry has decided to go on an indefinite strike from June 1, urging a reduction in actors’ salaries. A joint meeting involving the Kerala Film Producers Association, Distributors Association, and Kerala Film Workers Federation was held on Thursday. During the meeting, it was decided to protest against the increasing entertainment tax and escalating salaries of actors.

As part of the strike, film shootings will be halted, theaters will remain closed, and no entertainment-related events will take place, as announced by the Kerala Film Producers Association.

Speaking on the matter, Producers Association President G. Suresh Kumar said, “The state government has increased entertainment tax along with GST. Despite repeated requests for tax reduction, no action has been taken. Meanwhile, actor, director, and technician salaries continue to rise. Even new actors are demanding salaries in crores. Compared to their pay, theater collections are not even 10% of it. Production costs are increasing, and many films are facing losses. Additionally, OTT platforms are not buying all the films, leading us to take this drastic step of going on strike.”