Chiranjeevi refutes 'baseless' claims of assuring 30% hike to film federation members amid strike in Telugu industry

AMid the on-going tensions betwixt the Telugu take manufacture Employees’ Federation and the Telugu take Chamber of Commerce, actor Chiranjeevi has dismissed claims that he has assured the former a "30 per cent wage hike". Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Chiranjeevi slammed the false information shared by individuals claiming to be members of the Film Federation.What Chiranjeevi said amid tension in Telugu film industryChiranjeevi has said that he has neither met them nor made any promises to hike wage. "It has come to my attention that some individuals claiming to be the members of the Film Federation have gone to media falsely claiming that I have met them and given an assurance that their demands regarding 30% wage hike etc., shall be met and that I will be starting shooting very soon," he said.He called it an "industry issue" that one person can't resolve. "I wish to set the record straight that I have not met anyone from the federation. This is an industry issue, and no individual, including me, can give any unilateral assurances to solve any problem one way or the other," he added.Chiranjeevi hasn't given any assurance to federation staffChiranjeevi said that the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce is the apex body of the Telugu film industry, and only it would engage in discussions related to the concerns and arrive at a solution. "The film chamber is the apex body of the Telugu Film Industry, and only the Film Chamber as a collective will engage in discussions with all concerned and arrive at a just solution. Until such time, making such false claims is unacceptable. I condemn all such baseless and motivated claims to create confusion among all stakeholders. Please note," concluded his note.Fight between Telugu Film Industry Employees’ Federation, Telugu Film Chamber of CommerceEarlier this month, the film chamber had issued a strict directive, stating that members of the Telugu Industry Film Employees' Federation have demanded a 30 per cent wage increase. "We have already been paying much higher than the existing minimum wages as per the act to both skilled and unskilled workers. This disruption will cause heavy damage to films in production. Chamber condemns this action taken by Federation as we have worked together with their members for decades," the directive read.Mentioning that the chamber has been in talks with the relevant authorities to secure a sustainable solution, they asked producers to strictly avoid independent action or separate arrangements with unions until resolution.The Telugu Film Industry Employees’ Federation began a strike from Monday (August 4). This move resulted in abrupt halt of shootings as workers didn't turn up. The federation are demanding a 30% hike for their members, refusing to turn up to Tollywood film and web series shoots unless their conditions are met.About Chiranjeevi's upcoming filmsChiranjeevi will star in the upcoming action drama Mega157, which also stars Nayanthara. Directed by Anil Ravipudi, the film is set for release during Sankranti 2026.He also has director Vassishta’s Vishwambhara with Trisha Krishnan, Kunal Kapoor, and Ashika Ranganath in the pipeline. It will release in theatres sometime this year.