The Telugu film industry is celebrating the completion of 75 glorious years of history. Along with that the dubbing film industry also grown up and had almost completed some 60 years.
Very recently the Producers Council of Telugu Film Industry had decided to ban the dubbing films stating that the growth of small and low budget films is suffering due to these dubbed films. It claimed that the producers of small and low budget films are not getting theatres to release their films and over 200 prints were lying idle in laboratories in the absence of proper market and exhibitors.
However, the dubbing film industry, including several producers, writers and dubbing artistes launched a peaceful protest before the office of the producers' council and launched a relay hunger-strike. Those who were participating in the protest included popular dubbing artistes, Saikumar, his brothers Ravi Shankar, Ayyappa P Sharma, his father PJ Sharma, dubbing film dialogue writers Vennelakanti, Sriramakrishna, Ramanamurthy, Bellamkonda Suresh, Narra Venkateswara Rao, Mallikarjuna Rao, Bharatibabu, Ghantasala Venkataratnam, NV Prasad, Raghu Kunche and several other dubbing artistes.
Dubbing artiste Ravishankar says, 'Dubbing industry entered into the Telugu film industry with 'Aahuti' and it is continuing uninterruptedly without any break for the past several years. The decision to ban the dubbing films is absurd and should be condemned. In fact, the straight Telugu films and the dubbing films are like brothers. Both are the very fond sons for the Telugu film industry. If the brothers clash for some reason, they should settle the scores peacefully and it is unjustified to neck out the younger brother. There are thousands of families which are dependent on the dubbing film industry. They would be pushed on to the streets if the Telugu film industry imposes a ban on it. Moreover, those who are working in the dubbing film industry are not outsiders. We are all Telugu people. No Telugu audiences would accept to backstab the Telugu artistes, writers and other technicians in the name of ban on dubbing films. I so far dubbed voice for over 2005 films. I bagged Nandi awards for three times. Not only the dubbing films, I used to dub my voice for other language artistes like Mukhesh Rushi and Rahul Dev and other prominent artistes. Several women are lending their voice for heroines from other languages. Now the Telugu film industry could not survive without a dubbing artiste as most of the heroines, other characters are being brought from other languages and these producers could not complete their Telugu film without the help of a dubbing artiste. It is quite unjustified to hit below the belt of dubbing industry workers. Moreover, the ban on dubbing films is the violation of the fundamental rights of the Telugu audiences from watching the best of other language films. I request the Producers Council of the Telugu film industry, other prominent film personalities of Telugu film industry, to kindly rethink on the ban on dubbing films and help the thousands of families who were eking out their living on the dubbing film industry'.
Writer Vennelakanti says, 'The artistes, technicians and other living on the dubbing films now came out and staging protest following the ban on the dubbing films by the Producers Council. Though several films are releasing every week, the audiences watch only good films. Take a look at the collections of dubbing films like 'Aparichitudu, Chandramukhi', and our own Telugu films 'Pokiri and Stalin'. Our range is always better and the best. It is absurd to express fears by watching our own shadow. I appeal the producers to rethink the decision on ban on Telugu films.'
Another writer Sriramakrishna says, 'Telugu film industry is very vast industry. Banning the other language films and expressing fear on dubbing films is nothing but dishonoring our own film industry. If the film is good, the audiences will watch them without looking at the film whether low-budget/ high-budget or dubbing/ straight film. The Producers Council should lift this ban.'
Producer Bellamkonda Suresh says, 'The present day producers are once dubbed several films. It is meaningless to demand a ban on dubbing films. An art form has no language barrier. It just does not belong to a particular language like Telugu, Tamil or any other language. It is one at the same for everything. Our producers should rise to the occasion and bring better films than the dubbing films with innovative ideas and novel themes. But imposing ban is not justifiable.'
Subrahmanyam of Lakshmi Ganapati Films says, 'It is wrong to impose a ban on dubbing films. When they want to take a decision on ban, the producers should first discuss the issue with dubbing artistes and popular production houses which used to dub films and elicit their opinions. Will these producers could ban the artistes and technicians from other languages from working in Telugu films. Let the producers ban them and then ban the dubbing films. The common people would watch a film if it is good. It is immaterial for him whether it is a dubbed film or a straight film. He is doesn't mind whether it is a small budget film or from a big banner. The Telugu film industry should come out with good films and let the audiences ignore watching other language films that were dubbed into Telugu.'
