CII Dakshin has the potential to unite South India and Indian cinema: Mr Udhayanidhi Stalin
Chennai, 19th April 2023:
“The TN Government has allotted Rs. 1.5 crore towards preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the film city project recently. The film city will be under the public-private partnership model. Also, to help the students to be more creative, the Government has increased the incentive from Rs 50,000 to Rs. 100,000 towards making short films. These are just a few steps that the Government is undertaking to help the media and entertainment industry grow further,” said Mr Udhayanidhi Stalin, Hon’ble Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Government of Tamil Nadu in his Chief Guest Address at the 2nd Edition CII Dakshin 2023 – South India Media & Entertainment Summit organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Southern Region with the theme – Beyond Borders here today.
“The theme of the summit is highly relevant and this is a summit that has the potential to unite not only the South India Cinema and media industry but also the Indian cinema industry”, said Mr Udhayanidhi Stalin.
“The various initiatives taken by the Government helped the Tamil Film industry to grow faster thereby creating business opportunities for youth in the media & entertainment sector,” said Mr M P Saminathan, Hon’ble Minister of Information & Publicity, Government of Tamil Nadu in his Guest of Honour address at the Summit.
Mr Udhayanidhi Stalin and Mr M P Saminathan along with other dignitaries on the dais released the CII Report on “South India : Setting Benchmarks for the Nation in Media & Entertainment” and honoured the Oscar Award winners Ms Kartiki Gonsalves for the documentary film “The Elephant Whisperers” and Mr Prem Rakshit, Choreographer for the song ‘Naattu Naattu’ (RRR) at the Inaugural Session.
“This is the 2nd edition of Dakshin with Beyond Borders as the theme for this year. Despite the pandemic, there has been a resilience in our industry and we are evolving to a new normal. The first edition of Dakshin saw a tremendous progress be it with our producers, actors, technicians, directors and the audience too,” said Mr T G Thyagarajan, Chairman, CII Dakshin 2023 & Managing Partner, Sathya Jyothi Films.
“We also thank the Hon’ble Chief Minister of our State for announcing a state-of-the-art film city in Chennai. This film city will create employability, investment, and talent in the state benefiting everyone. We have also placed our recommendations through CII to the Government which is being actively considered and we expect a positive response shortly,” he added.
Dr R Nandini, Deputy Chairperson, CII Southern Region & MD, Chandra Textiles Pvt Ltd said, “One of the most exciting aspects of South India is its thriving media and entertainment (M&E) sector. This industry caters to diverse audiences across different age groups, languages and genres, making it an essential part of the region’s social fabric.
CII thanks the Government of Tamil Nadu for their proactive measures and progressive policies for the benefit of this sector. With their guidance and participation, we are already witnessing several breakthrough achievements. CII looks forward to continuing our engagement with the Government of Tamil Nadu and all State Governments in enhancing the competitiveness of this sector, she added.
Mr R K Selvamani, President, Film Employees Federation of South India & Directors Union said, We appeal to the Government to recognize us as an Industry as we have contributed to over 50,000 movies till date which is another achievement that South India should be proud of”.
Mr Vetrimaran, Film Director, Producer & Writer said, “The more rooted an artist is to their land, the more it is accepted globally. We have crossed borders whereas, earlier it was not so. Earlier, we had catered to a wider audience and we were trying to fit in. South Indian films have created an impact and today, we are telling stories of our people, for our people and of our land which other regions are unable to state. Let us uphold our values and traditions and work towards that further”.
Mr Rishab Shetty, Actor & Film Maker said, “I believe the more regional one is, the more universal we are” while, Mr Karthi Sivakumar, Actor said, Chennai is the capital of cultural music and the movie Chandralekha was one of the early movies that had crossed borders though it was made in then Madras. We have a huge heritage and many stories to tell the world”.
Ms Manju Warrier, Actor & Producer said, “South India cinema is breaking all barriers beyond borders and Mr Allu Aravind, Promoter, Allu Entertainment LLP pointed out, “We are all here to celebrate for South stories are being embraced by the world,”.
The CII Report on “South India : Setting Benchmarks for the Nation in Media & Entertainment” highlighted the significant growth the South India media and entertainment industry.
As per the CII report, the total market size of the South Indian film industry comprising all four languages, earned through various revenue streams is estimated to be around INR 7,800 crore. Against the estimated revenue of INR 15,000 crore at the all-India level by film industry, the Southern region with four language industries works out of 52 percent contribution, which is a commendable achievement by the region, the CII report pointed out.
The two-day Summit is being participated by over 700 delegates spanning 17 Sessions with over 70 speakers from all over India.