No wonder, Telugu films are being confined to just love-laced comedies вЂ“вЂ“ relegating other interesting genres to the backseat.ДЄ.Kodandarami Reddy, a popular director who reaped huge hits in legendary combination with Chiranjeevi, is directing the film 'Punnami Nagu'. But with stars and directors pushing up their rates, little is left for the producer and creativity is taking a beating. 'Д¬ertainly, satellite rights are fetching unheard of prices for producers besides increase in overseas collections for hits. This trend might be just a transitory one. He says, 'It is all about demand and supply. Leading filmmaker Rama Naidu looks at it differently. It's a bad equation,' says film critic Vasiraju Prakasam, who brands it as an undesirable trend. 'Pay packets have doubled but the market expansion is marginal. Probably producers wouldn't have felt the pinch if the markets had expanded proportionately. 'I was surprised when a one-hit director asked me for Rs 3 crore without batting an eyelid,' reveals a producer, who has almost given up the project. It is learnt that a reigning director charges Rs 7 crore, while other successful directors are hovering between Rs 5 and 6 crore and even the upcoming ones charge above Rs 1 crore. Hotshot actresses like Ileana, Nayantara and Trisha have all surpassed the Rs 1 crore mark and are doling out dates, sometimes unmindful of the significance of their roles, says the source.ДЄnother jolt for the producers came in the form of directorsвЂ™ revised pay scales. 'It took a reigning star 30 years in the industry to cross the Rs 8 crore mark but new-age stars have crossed that with just a handful of hits,' reveals a filmmaker, who says that even emerging stars are quoting above Rs 2 crore. 'Undeniably, the real-estate boom and advent of corporate entities has ruined Telugu cinema,' bemoans a leading filmmaker.ДЄccording to our sources, top stars are hiking their fee to stay ahead of their rivals and not based on the project requirement. Given that вЂregularвЂ™ producers are reluctant to pay astronomical sums, the field is left open to glam-struck NRIs, the neo-rich and even the underworld.

Besides compromising on quality, the new trend is detrimental to filmmaking per se. With almost 75 per cent of the budgets being usurped by the stars and directors, there is little left for making the film. If the latest buzz is to be believed, more than Rs 20 crore was spent on a Pawan Kalyan starrer and a similar amount on a Mahesh Babu film.

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