No benefit shows, ticket price hikes for Sankranti: Tollywood in spot of bother

Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy announced in the Assembly that the State government would prohibit benefit shows and ticket price hikes moving forward. Several other Ministers, MLAs, and public representatives voiced their objections to these practices. This stance was also supported by a few MLAs from Andhra Pradesh, who raised similar concerns about the rising costs and the impact on the public.

Hyderabad: With a few big budget movies slated for release this Sankranti season, the Congress government’s decision not to permit benefit shows and ticket price hikes has put the Telugu film industry in a spot of bother.

Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had also announced in the Assembly that the State government would not allow benefit shows or ticket price hikes from now on. A few other Ministers, MLAs and elected public representatives in the State had also raised objections over benefit shows and ticket price hikes. Following suit, a couple of MLAs from Andhra Pradesh also raised similar objections.

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BJP MLA Vishnu Kumar Raju and TDP MLA Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy demanded that benefit shows should not be permitted in Andhra Pradesh as well. Film tickets were being hiked from Rs.300 to Rs.900 for benefit shows. This apart, heavy crowds turn up for these shows and if stampedes and other untoward incidents have to be avoided, then benefit shows should not be permitted, Vishnu Kumar Raju said in Visakhapatnam on Monday.

Satyanarayana Murthy sought to know for whose benefit were such shows being permitted. Should the government permit these shows to help producers earn profits, he asked, adding that the government should accord permission when there was benefit for people. He also questioned whether there was any control over the ticket price hike.

Balakrishna’s “Daku Maharaj”, Ram Charan starrer “Game Changer” and Venkatesh’s “Sankrantiki Vasthunam” are all big budget movies. These apart, quite a few small budget movies are also slated for release during the Sankranti season. Crores are stake at the box office and producers are keeping their fingers crossed over permission for benefit shows. When ticket prices are increased, it helps producers and exhibitors to recover their investments for a movie faster.

Save for message oriented movies, the Telangana government has already announced that benefit shows and ticket price hikes will not be permitted anymore in the State.

Ram Charan starrer “Game Changer” is produced by Dil Raju, who is also chairman of the Telangana Film Development Corporation (FDC). Balakrisha’s “Daku Maharaj” is produced by Naga Vamsi. On Monday, when media persons asked Naga Vamsi about the possibility of ticket price hikes during the next season, he said the FDC chairman’s movie was slated for release before his movie. “Whatever rules apply for FDC Chairman’s movie, will be applicable to our movie,” he said.

Considering all these factors, whether the Andhra Pradesh government will permit benefit shows and ticket hikes is a million dollar question. It may be recalled that TDP president Palla Srinivasa Rao had said the Telugu film industry would be extended a red carpet welcome if it shifted base from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh.