‘selective, draconian, discriminatory and exploitative’ - these were the adjectives used for Virtual Print Fees (VPF) by Bollywood Producer Ronnie Screwvala who in 2019 unsuccessfully sought Competition Commission of India (CCI)’s intervention in his petition against major multiplex chains which made producers pay that VPF to service providers during movie releases.

In Tamil Nadu, the battle against VPF had previously been fought with service providers directly and now under The Tamil Film Active Producers’ Association (TFAPA), with the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association. Last month, TFAPA penned a letter with 6 demands which included abolishment of the VPF and their official twitter handle also said, 

“We as producers are clear that no new film release is scheduled by our members till the solution to VPF issue is achieved with theatre owners.” 

Movie theaters in Tamil Nadu are all set to open for the first time since lockdown in March this year and apparently the producers are still standing firm on their stance. This means that even though theaters and cinema halls in the state will re-open from November 10, 2020, there will be no movie releases scheduled.

TFAPA has said that the producers are willing to pay only a one-time charge for VPF, which would include the price of mastering, cloning and delivering. Theatre Owners Association president on the other hand predicts a stand-still on the matter for the next 6 months and has said, 

“We have no other option but to keep the theatres shut if producers are going to be at loggerheads with us.”

Related: qube-cinema-announces-50-vpf-discount-for-film-producers