Film organisations in the State of Kerala have called for a token strike on 22nd this month. This decision was taken since their long-pending demands have not been accepted by the state government.
As reported, the strike is meant as a warning. It is also a clear signal before moving into an indefinite strike. On that day everything related to cinema will slow down completely. The organisations feel they have waited long enough as they say this step was unavoidable.
On the penal
of the token strike, theatres across the state will remain closed and no shows will run in theatres. Even all
Film-related work will grind to a halt This includes shootings, production work, and other activities connected to making films.
The film organisations are raising several demands and one major demand is the withdrawal of the entertainment tax collected in addition to GST. Another key request is a special electricity tariff for theatres. They say high costs are making it very hard to survive. The organisations have clearly warned that if these demands are not accepted, they will move towards an indefinite strike.
Earlier the film organisations personally met
CM Pinarayi Vijayan in and shared their demands. One many occasions, the government also called them for discussions. Still, nothing concrete has happened. Now, the government has decided to hold another round of talks on the 14th. Other associations have also been invited under the leadership of the Film Chamber.
This comes at a very difficult time for Malayalam cinema. Recently, the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce revealed that the industry faced a total loss of Rs 530 crore. This happened because many films failed at the box office. In 2025, around 185 new Malayalam films were released in theatres. Eight old films were re-released in the year. Even with so many releases, only a few films made money.
The Film Chamber explained it clearly in their Facebook post saying that, “2025 was a year of major experiments and expectations for Malayalam cinema. Around 185 new films were released in theatres this year. But how many of these films made profits?.”
They added, “The total investment in new films came to around ₹860 crore. Based on theatrical revenue,
9 films can be placed in the super hit category and around 16 films in the hit category.
The post further stated, “It can be assessed that around 150 films failed in theatres. After excluding films that recovered their investment and those that made profits, 2025 stands as a year in which the Malayalam film industry suffered a loss of Rs 530 crore.”
News Edit KV Raman