Tamil films piracy row: Film producers seek Vishal’s ouster from TFPC presidentship

[Archiee]

This comes two days after a website alleged that Tamil Film Producers Council president Vishal had struck a deal with Lyca Productions upon discovering their role in film piracy.

CHENNAI: Two days after a website alleged that Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) president Vishal had struck a deal with Lyca Productions upon discovering their role in film piracy, some Tamil film producers have demanded that Vishal be removed from his post. Producer K Radhakrishnan, who convened a press meet that was attended by almost 40 producers, said some of them had additional grouses with present administration.

“Vishal got elected to office in April 2017. When he assumed office, he said he will resign in 11 months if he doesn’t deliver on his promises and it has been 14 months and he still has not delivered. When I was part of the last council, an amount of Rs 7 crore was deposited in the bank and it has been used up without permission,” Radhakrishnan said.

“Till the last term of Thanu, no administration has ever touched this FD. Vishal’s team said it will generate its own money, but it does not seem to have happened. When it was managed by Thanu, a general body meeting was always held within 45 days of assuming office, but we have not had a meeting till now,” he said.

Other complaints include the 48-day strike and organising a fund raiser recently. “The strike was not beneficial to producers. Instead Vishal took actors to shoot in Malaysia and tried to raise fund,” he said.

Most importantly, during Thupparivalan audio launch, he said he was close to solving the menace of piracy. But he did not take any action and instead Lyca, which is thought to be behind some of the piracy, has made a deal with Vishal to alleviate his debts. We want a general body meeting to look into these issues.”

TFPC treasurer S R Prabhu, who didn’t attend today’s meet, dismissed these allegations. “It has always been a procedure to put forward the accounts of the previous administration before we put forward ours. The AGMs always happen only once a year. I do not understand how suddenly they feel like they want to have it. This section of producers had earlier disrupted the meeting and they were suspended because of that. Now, their question why we have not conducted a meeting is laughable,” he said.

Vishal could not be reached for a comment on the issue.