Chennai: Tamil superstar and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan took to social media to raise concerns over rising production costs and delays in the film industry, and urged filmmakers to collectively address these issues before the financial strain begins affecting daily wage workers and crew members.
Addressing the film fraternity, the veteran wrote, “The continuing crisis in West Asia is deepening, and the world is facing growing pressure on energy, trade, logistics, and economic stability. India, too, is inevitably feeling the impact of rising fuel, energy, logistics, and production costs. For the Indian film industry, this comes at a time when budgets are already escalating, and market recoveries remain uneven. Rising costs will not affect film production alone. Consumer spending patterns for entertainment may also change in the months ahead due to inflationary pressures.”
Kamal further emphasised that the impact of rising costs eventually affects producers, theatre owners, distributors, financiers, workers and the industry as a whole.
Stressing the need for responsible spending, the veteran said every rupee invested in a film should contribute meaningfully to the project rather than merely creating an illusion of grandeur.
“Let me be clear. Any correction in cinema economics must never come at the cost of workers’ wages, safety, dignity, food, transport, accommodation, or humane working conditions. The burden cannot fall on those who labour the hardest,” he expressed.
“Why must every love story bloom only in Paris, and every honeymoon end in Switzerland? Romance, fortunately, does not require foreign exchange. Indian cinema, and Indians, deserve a little more confidence in themselves and our beautiful country,” Kamal continued.
“I believe this is the right time for a meeting of minds across the Indian cinema industry. I urge an industry-wide conversation between producers, actors, directors, unions, studios, exhibitors, distributors, OTT platforms, and guilds towards an industry-wide dialogue on how we collectively navigate the economic challenges ahead.”
Proposing a solution to the growing concerns within the industry, Kamal suggested: “Together, we must evolve practical and sustainable operating practices for efficient filmmaking: better shooting discipline, tighter schedules, reduced luxury and entourage expenses, limiting avoidable foreign travel where suitable local alternatives exist, conserving energy across sets and studios, and encouraging sustainable set construction and reuse of materials. Extravagance has often been mistaken for scale. But some of our greatest films were made not with excess, but with clarity, discipline, and conviction.”
He further pointed out that after a national call for responsible consumption, the Indian film industry must also follow suit. “This is a time for national interest over personal interest.”
He concluded, “If we protect the economics of cinema today, we protect the future of cinema tomorrow. With respect and responsibility, Kamal Haasan.”
My appeal to our Industry.@ficci_india @producers_guild @tfpcin @TFPCOffl @kfpaofficial @TFCCofficial @imppa_official @federation_film @fwicemum @aifecsocial @aicwaofficial @tfapatn #SouthIndianFilmChamberOfCommerce #NorthernIndiaMotionPicturesAssociation… pic.twitter.com/24WXgYlbHN
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) May 15, 2026
Kamal’s statement comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal urging citizens to cut down on fuel usage, embrace work-from-home practices again, limit gold purchases and avoid non-essential foreign travel, among other measures.
On the work front, Kamal was last seen in ‘Thug Life’ in 2025.
He will next star in Nelson Dilipkumar’s yet-to-be-titled project with ‘Rajinikanth’. He is also a part of Nag Ashwin’s ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ sequel with Amitabh Bachchan and Prabhas.
