No impact on films collections: Sivaji Raja

With so many Tollywood personalities like actor Tarun, who has a film up for release, being questioned by the Special Investigation Team in connection with the drug racket, is there any impact on the collections of upcoming films? 

“I don’t think that there will be any big impact on the coming films. If the film is good, people forget everything and watch it, if the content is bad, then they don’t watch,” says Sivaji Raja, President of the Movie Artistes Association (MAA). He adds, “I think the impact is only two per cent, and if everyone comes out clean and proves their innocence, then they get 10 per cent additional fans.”

He feels that the Special Investigation Team has been working on this case from a long time and it’s not just film personalities who have been summoned. “This is a wake-up call for everyone, not just for film personalities, but for other industries too,” he says, adding that he does not feel the film industry is being targeted. 

“People from IT and school kids are also involved, but since film people are public figures, they get a lot of attention,” he says.

He further agrees that if an actor or director is found guilty, then the fan following of that particular person may reduce. 

“Though there are many names doing the rounds, I don’t think everyone is involved in the drug racket. Everything will come out only after the investigation. The media is speculating different names and now we are all scared when the word ‘Breaking News’ appears on the TV screen,” says Sivaji Raja.