Telangana softens stand on studio lands

Hyderabad: Speaking at the audio release function of the Tollywood film Basthi, held at Shilpakala Vedika late on Sunday, Mr Rao said, “The government will allow the studio owners to use these lands for commercial purposes. There were some issues earlier but we have no problem. We will soon convene a meeting with the film industry people and resolve these issues. We are ready to grant them additional land to set up studios in other locations in the city.”

This is in sharp contrast to the TRS’ earlier stance, during the Telangana agitation, of taking back the lands if they were used for purposes other than which they were intended for.
In fact, minister T. Harish Rao had, during the T-agitation, filed a petition in the High Court against Padmalaya Studios, owned by veteran actor Krishna for selling government allotted land to a private firm in violation to the prescribed norms.

There are earlier instances of Mr Harish Rao and K.T. Rama Rao demanding the then Congress government of undivided AP to take back lands belonging to Padmalaya Studios and Annapurna Studios, which is owned by Tollywood star Akkineni Nagarjuna’s family, for violating allotment norms and using them for commercial purposes.

The Chief Minister’s announcement will benefit stars like Krishna, Nagarjuna and director K. Raghavendra Rao. Nagarjuna has been planning to convert his Annapurna Studios, spread over seven acres, into an entertainment theme park. Raghavendra Rao’s land was also under controversy after he built “Cinemax”, a multiplex theatre, in Banjara Hills, while the land was allotted to set up a “recording and re-recording theatre”.

Krishna had given part of his studio land to a private channel to clear his dues with the channel.