Tollywood is not about four heroes, four producers: Mohan Babu

Senior actor Mohan Babu has said that his silence over the issues afflicting the Telugu film industry and the reality of the house having been divided over the issues shouldn’t be construed as his weakness. 

In his statement, Mohan Babu said that Tollywood is not equal to four heroes, four producers, and four distributors. “The industry is about thousands of people who depend on it for livelihood. With 47 years of experience, let me state that the best way to go about resolving outstanding issues is to arrive at a consensus on how to represent our concerns before the governments (chief ministers of Telugu States),” Mohan Babu said.

He added that calling on the Cinematography Ministers of the Telugu States should come first, followed by a representation before the CMs. 

The senior actor pooh-poohed the practice of a few producers, distributors and actors getting to represent the concerns of the industry in front of the governments. “I want to reiterate that nobody is superior or inferior in the industry. Nobody is a hegemon here,” Mohan Babu said.

He suggested that, regardless of one’s political affiliations, one must respect a leader who has been elected by the people. Mohan Babu reminded everyone that, when he was the MAA President, he got along with the then CM, YS Rajasekhar Reddy, in addressing the issue of piracy. 

Mohan Babu touched upon the ticket price issue. “Big films won’t survive if the ticket prices are as low as Rs 30, Rs 50. And small films will not survive if they are as high as Rs 300,” he added.