Victorious: Radhika Sarathkumar and G. Jayachitra at the biennial election of the Film and Television Producers Guild of South India in Chennai on Sunday. Ms. Jayachitra (right) was elected president of the Guild.
Actor-director turned producer G. Jayachitra was elected president of the Film and Television Producers’ Guild of South India at its 42nd biennial election (for 2007-09) here on Sunday.
A computer touch screen system, that the Guild members claimed was being deployed for the first time in an election to an entertainment industry body, facilitated in the announcement of the results just fifteen minutes after the voting got over.
U.P. Prakasham of PBSC Spectacular Solution Limited, who designed the EC-Poll software, demonstrated how to use the touch screen to the Guild members. Numbered lists of candidates for each post were presented on the computer screen with different coloured backgrounds. Selected numbers would change colour after being touched by hand or highlighted with a mouse. The selection could be cancelled by touching the same option again. Finally, the voter could confirm their choice. The screen would be locked after a vote was cast.
Ms. Jayachitra polled 170 votes, closely followed by incumbent S. Devaraj Gunasekaran with 154. The president post is common to both the film and television sectors for south India.
Shortly after the results were declared, Ms. Jayachitra said she was “happy to have an opportunity to serve the industry.†Medical insurance for members is among the initiatives she hopes to work on to strengthen the Guild, besides more interaction with other associations in the industry.
Bipin H. Shah and J.V. Rukmangathan were elected vice-presidents and Dilip K. Sha and M.A. Prakaash honorary secretaries in the film sector. In the television sector Ghansyam Hemdev and V.C. Kuganathan were elected vice-president and honorary secretary. The Guild is affiliated to the Film Federation of India, the apex body of the entertainment industry in the country.
