Telugu film and web series shootings halt as workers demand 30% wage hike

From August 4, the Telugu Film Industry Employees’ Federation has launched an industry-wide strike, demanding a 30% increase in daily wages from producers. Workers across categories—including technicians, production crew, and junior artists—have refused to report for film or web series shoots unless producers send written confirmation agreeing to the hike through federation channels . The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce responded by calling the demand unilateral and warned of severe disruption to ongoing productions, noting that current payments already exceed minimum wage standards and that independent agreements should be avoided until negotiations conclude .