We aim to depoliticise Tollywood, say Anjana Basu and Kaushik Chakraborty

Actors Anjana Basu and Kaushik Chakraborty, who renewed their membership with BJP, spoke to us after 11 actors hopped on the political bandwagon. Said Anjana, "When we started out in this industry, there was a lot of discipline. But over the past few years, all we witnessed were arrogance and indiscipline among actors and technicians close to the ruling party. The attitude is more like — ‘we don’t care as we are under the umbrella of the ruling party’.Tollywood is the place for creativity and our job is to entertain the audience by our work in films or serials. Why should Tollywood have any political colour? Right now, our main aim is to make Tollywood free of any colour. We want to work fearlessly and the criterion to get work should be merit and not one’s closeness to the ruling party. Secondly, it is a criminal offence to not pay someone for months and years after the completion of work. This has become a regular affair. This has to stop immediately as we are all working for money."

Kaushik echoed similar sentiments. He said, "There are three things which we want to do for the betterment of the industry. First of all, we want to depoliticise the industry, as it is a creative place. Secondly, we want to register Tollywood under the Trade Union Act, so that the artistes and technicians get provident fund and gratuity after retirement. Thirdly, the monopoly of a few producers has to stop so that Tollywood becomes a more professional workplace."