Finalise movie ticket prices 90 days before release of film, says Telangana HC

The Telangana High Court has directed that any revision of cinema ticket prices must be announced at least 90 days before a film’s release. Justice NV Shravan Kumar issued the order while hearing a petition against the approval of enhanced rates for Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, starring Chiranjeevi.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Justice NV Shravan Kumar of the Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed that any revision of movie ticket prices in the State must be finalised and made public at least 90 days prior to the release of the film.

---

The direction was issued while hearing a writ petition challenging the recent approval of enhanced ticket rates for the Telugu film ‘Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu’, starring Chiranjeevi. The Court held that last-minute revisions place an unfair financial burden on the public and undermine statutory safeguards meant to ensure transparency.

During the hearing, the Court took serious exception to the manner in which the Home Department approved the price hike. Observing an apparent lack of application of mind, Justice Shravan Kumar issued a suo motu contempt notice to CV Anand, Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department, for failing to properly supervise and place relevant facts before the Court.

The writ petition was filed by Hyderabad-based advocate Dachepally Chandra Babu, who contended that the Home Department had granted permission for the ticket price escalation in an arbitrary manner.

The petitioner argued that the approval was issued without examining the film’s budget, source of funding, or income and expenditure details, and without insisting on a supporting affidavit from the producers. It was further submitted that such opaque decision-making violated the public’s right to information, particularly when cinema ticket pricing directly affects a large section of moviegoers. The petitioner characterised the approval process as irrational and contrary to the scheme of the Telangana Cinemas Regulation Act, 1955.

The Court also noted that the impugned order approving the hike was issued on January 8, even as a related matter concerning ticket price revisions for another film was being heard by the same Bench on January 9.

In that earlier proceeding, the Court had expressly cautioned the State against granting price hikes except in strict compliance with the law. Justice Shravan Kumar observed that the availability of the price hike order shortly thereafter reflected a disregard for judicial directions and amounted to bypassing the Court’s scrutiny.

Emphasising the need to prevent sudden and arbitrary price increases, the Court mandated that any future proposal to revise ticket rates must be announced at least 90 days in advance. This requirement, the Court noted, flows from the statutory framework and is intended to ensure predictability, transparency and fairness to the public.

The Court further indicated that the Home Department must, in future, insist on complete financial disclosures while considering applications for ticket price hikes. Such applications, it observed, should be supported by detailed budgets, verified expenditure statements and proper affidavits, so that approvals are granted only after due scrutiny and in accordance with law.