Telangana Shock to Pan-India Films

Recently, the Telangana High Court single judge ruled that the order against the premieres and increased ticket rates of the film Ojas was not valid. When the movie unit appealed this decision, the division bench stayed it until Friday, giving relief to the producer — these are the developments so far. The matter arose based on a public interest litigation (PIL) claiming that the Home Department had no authority to allow such concessions. However, the recent remarks of Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy about this incident are likely to create tension for upcoming Pan-India films.

After the Pushpa 2 incident, Komatireddy had stated on record in the Assembly that there would be no special shows or ticket rate hikes in Telangana. But now, due to being unwell and hospitalized for the past three or four days, he has not been able to follow the Ojas proceedings. He said that the High Court’s response seemed like a positive outcome and that he opposed making cinema, which is a main source of entertainment for all sections of the audience, inaccessible due to prices. Komatireddy made it clear that going forward, there will be no benefit shows or ticket rate hikes for any film, and producers should not request such hikes from the government. This is a major setback for producers.

In the coming months, many films such as The Raja Saab, Akhand 2, Vishwambhara, Mana Shankara Prasad Garu, and Swayambhu are ready for release. In this context, if Komatireddy’s statement is implemented with strict restrictions, multiplexes in Telangana — numbering 295 — and single screens — 175 — will not be able to charge more than Rs. 295. Since Andhra Pradesh issued a government order (GO) on this matter, Telangana seems to be following suit. Whether this strict rule will apply to all films, big or small, remains to be seen. If it happens, it will be great news for common audiences.