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Time of India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Producers Council vs FEFSI: Madras High Court grants time for response in ongoing dispute
The Madras High Court has intervened in an escalating conflict between the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) and the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI), granting time for the latter to respond to legal proceedings. The case stems from FEFSI 's alleged refusal to cooperate in ongoing film shoots and production activities involving TFPC members. This unexpected standoff has disrupted numerous film projects across Tamil Nadu, raising concerns within the industry about the impact on schedules and finances. Operation Sindoor 'Pakistan army moving its troops in forward areas': Key takeaways from govt briefing 'Pak used drones, long-range weapons, jets to attack India's military sites' 'Attempted malicious misinformation campaign': Govt calls out Pakistan's propaganda New union emerges, FEFSI issues directive against cooperation In its petition, TFPC claimed that a group of technicians had launched a rival organization under the name Tamil Nadu Film Workers Federation , purportedly to oppose FEFSI's dominance. The Producers Council clarified that it had no ties with the new federation. Following this development, FEFSI issued a directive on April 2, advising its members not to work on films associated with TFPC. This move, according to producers, was aimed at creating pressure and curbing independent decision-making among film workers. Producers claim losses, demand uninterrupted film work The TFPC argued that FEFSI's actions violated prior contractual obligations and severely impacted the film industry's functioning. The sudden halt in production from April 8 led to major financial setbacks, with some projects stalled indefinitely. The Council urged the court to issue a directive ensuring that production work be allowed to proceed smoothly, and sought an injunction restraining FEFSI from further interference. They stressed that continued obstruction would not only damage the industry's economy but also affect thousands of workers relying on daily wages. Court postpones hearing, grants time for FEFSI's reply As per News 18, the petition came up for hearing before Justice N. Mala, where legal representatives for FEFSI requested additional time to prepare their response. Taking their request into consideration, the judge granted time for all involved unions to file their replies. The next hearing has been scheduled for June 4, and industry stakeholders are eagerly awaiting the court's directions to resolve the deadlock and resume normalcy in Tamil film production.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Tamil Film Producers Council moves Madras High Court against FEFSI
The Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) has filed a civil suit in the Madras High Court, accusing Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) of having caused huge monetary losses by creating hurdles in the ongoing production of movies by members of the council. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu on Tuesday (April 29, 2025) ordered notice, returnable by May 7, to FEFSI and 23 associations affiliated to it, seeking their response to the plea for grant of an interim injunction restraining them from adhering to an alleged illegal call for non-cooperation. Advocate Krishna Ravindran, representing TFPC, told the court that the plaintiff council was registered in 1979 under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act of 1975 and that it was a premier body established for the welfare of Tamil film producers. Similarly, FEFSI was a trade union registered under Trade Unions Act of 1926 and it comprises 23 different associations of film directors, cinematographers, writers, editors, make-up artists, lightmen, and so on involved in the pre-production, production, and post-production of movies. The TFPC and FEFSI regularly sign Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with respect to fixation of wages and other issues related to the workers. The last of such MoU was signed by both the parties on March 10, 2022, and it was still in subsistence. However, in the recent past, FEFSI had begun to work with another body titled Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) and issued a communication to all its 23 affiliated associations on April 2, 2025, asking them not to cooperate with the members of TFPC and stop all film production work for them, Mr. Ravindran said. In the communication, FEFSI had also accused TFPC of promoting a rival trade union named Tamil Nadu Thiraipada Thozhilalargal Sammelanam and warned that the latter could affect the livelihood of 25,000 film workers. Therefore, it had requested the workers not to work for TFPC members. Denying that TFPC had anything to do with the new trade union, Mr. Ravindran told the court that it had been started by some technicians who had a grouse with FEFSI. He also accused FEFSI of using the new trade union as an excuse to hold the members of TFPC to ransom by stopping their production work since April 8, 2025. He urged the court to declare FEFSI's April 2, 2025, communication as null and void and issue a consequent direction to FEFSI, as well as its 23 affiliated associations, to adhere to the terms of the 2022 MoU. He also sought an interim injunction restraining the film employees from adhering to the 'illegal' call for non-cooperation with TFPC members.
