Leading Telugu production house People Media Factory has issued a detailed statement addressing the ongoing debate over workers’ wages in the film industry. The company emphasised that it has always maintained transparency in payments and dismissed the involvement of “outsiders or self-proclaimed union leaders” in commenting on its internal financial matters.
According to the statement, the production company has paid nearly ₹60 crore in daily wages to film workers over the past 12 months. Additionally, around ₹1 crore remains pending for labourers who worked during the July schedule, with payments expected to be cleared shortly. The company also noted that if monthly-salaried staff were included, the total outlay would rise by another ₹30 crore. Importantly, the current figure excludes payments to technicians, artists, vendors, VFX teams and location expenses, which are handled separately.
Acknowledging the delays, the studio clarified that the July dues were postponed due to the recent industry-wide strike and disruption in shooting schedules. However, in consideration of the difficulties faced by its workforce, the company has decided to make an exception and release pending wages this week itself.
The production house also announced a significant change in its payment policy. In an effort to improve transparency and accountability, all wages will now be transferred directly to workers’ bank accounts. The earlier practice of making payments through representatives has been abolished. The company stressed that it would no longer release funds via middlemen under any circumstances.
Furthermore, People Media Factory requested all workers with pending July bills to follow the updated procedure: provide accurate bank details to their respective executive producers by Monday. Once the details are verified, the payments will be processed within the same week.
Concluding its statement, the production house reiterated its commitment to fair and timely payments, while urging individuals not connected to the organisation to refrain from making misleading public statements regarding its financial dealings.
This clarification comes at a crucial time when wage-related tensions between film workers and producers have led to industry-wide strikes, halting several film shoots across Telugu cinema.