Narayandas K Narang, film producer and promoter of Asian Films, was unanimously elected as the president of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) on Saturday. Prominent producer Dil Raju has been elected to the post of vice-president, while producer Damodar Prasad is the new secretary.
The election was primarily fought between two groups - a panel led by producer Dil Raju and the Manna panel led by producers Natti Kumar, C Kalyan and Prasanna Kumar. The Manna panel swept the election. Of the 44 members elected to the executive committee, Manna panel members won 32 seats, while Dil Raju’s panel won 12 seats.
Narayandas was unanimously elected to the post of the association’s president, previously held by V Veerinaidu. Das runs the Asian Cinemas in partnership with producer D Suresh Babu and has financed over 600 films. It’s one of the largest multiplex chains run in both the Telugu states.
Producers Bharat Chaudhary and Natti Kumar were elected as the joint secretaries. M Vijendar Reddy is the new Treasurer. Office bearers to the chamber are elected by the 44 executive members of the committee. Elections to the committee are held every year.
Though fresh elections have been held, there has been a continuing dissent among many of its members in an attempt to carve out two separate film chambers - one for Telangana and the other for Andhra Pradesh.
The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, formerly known as Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber of Commerce, was established in the year 1979 with the view to facilitate services to all sections of the industry, including studios, outdoor units, film producers, distributors and exhibitors, that spread throughout the state. It was then recognised as the sole representative body of the film industry.
The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce is a member of the Film Federation of India (FFI) and its members represent the FFI executive committee, which is the apex body of the Indian film industry, recognised by the government of India.
The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce has four sectors namely the producer sector, distributor sector, exhibitor and the studio sector. A large number of artistes from all the four sectors constitute the association. The film chamber also has an anti-video piracy cell and a sexual harassment cell, which was set up after several allegations of harassment rocked the industry last year.