The demise of veteran Telugu film director and former union minister of state for coal and mines Dasari Narayana Rao was a big blow to the entire Telugu film industry; and more particularly, to the makers of small-budget films.
Till a few months before his death, Dasari used to champion the cause of small budget film makers who faced extreme difficulty in getting their films released in theatres, which are under the control of a few big film production houses.
Many times, Dasari strongly raised his voice over the monopoly of a handful of producers who controlled the distribution network in the Telugu states and release of films in theatres.
There were occasions when Dasari lobbied with the distribution companies to help small films being released in theatres.
At one stage, he antagonised even big stars like Chiranjeevi despite belonging to the same community. Because of his age and reputation in the industry, he commanded a lot of respect among the distribution companies.
Now with the demise of Dasari, the small budget films have lost more or less a godfather. There is none who can come to their rescue.
