On Thursday, AP’s television industry came to a grinding halt. Producers, actors and technicians from the industry formed a Joint Action Committee to protest against dubbed serials, which they claim has cost them nearly `200 crore. They are pushing for a ban of all dubbed serials from Ugadi, this year.

Nearly 12,500 technicians, 1,500 actors and 250 producers are dependent on AP’s television industry. And as all local TV channels have started tying up with Hindi channels and are importing content from them, the television industry is losing nearly `200 crores,” and people are losing their jobs. Veteran director Dasari Narayana Rao attended the event and had offered his helping hand to the movement.