There is an adage in Telugu: “Devudu varam ichina, pujari varam ivvaledu” (Even if god has granted the boon, priest is yet to give it). One wonders whether this is going to happen in the case of cinema ticket rates in Andhra Pradesh.
On Thursday, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy held a meeting with a delegation of Telugu film industry led by megastar Chiranjeevi and comprising actors like Mahesh Babu and Prabhas, directors S S Rajamouli and Koratala Siva etc., to finalise the cinema ticket pricing.
During the meeting, the chief minister reportedly granted a bonanza for the film industry, stating that the government would fix a reasonable pricing for cinema tickets that justifies all kinds of cinemas.
He also promised that certain big budget films should be treated separately considering the use of high end technology, innovations and expenditure.
For such films with over Rs 100 crore budget excluding the remuneration of hero, heroine and director, there should be a policy to notify special price for one week.
Soon after the meeting, all the representatives of the delegation expression immense satisfaction over the meeting and profusely thanked Jagan.
So far so good. But after the meeting, the press release from the chief minister’s office said the government proposed to bring the same rates for every film that benefits producers and government as well.
Apparently, some senior officials of the government brought to the notice of the chief minister that discrimination of films based on big-budget and small budget films in terms of ticket pricing might lead to legal hassles.
They reportedly told the chief minister that there is already a criticism of the big film makers dominating the film industry. They would take over most of the cinema theatres for big budget films – right from multiplexes to single-screen theatres, thereby leaving no scope for small-budget films.
“If they are given additional benefit of collecting extra charges on each ticket in the name of big-budget, they would huge profit and they would continue to dominate the industry, while the small budget films will continue to suffer due to lack of patronage. If they go to the court, the issue will come back to square one,” the officials reportedly told Jagan.
They convinced the chief minister that it would be better to fix the cinema ticket prices based on the facilities available in the tickets, rather than the budget of the films.
They also suggested that a comprehensive policy on the ticket pricing and other issues concerning the industry.
Sources said the GO on the cinema tickets pricing is likely to be delayed. The committee is going to meet again on February 17 to decide the final pricing issue, they added.
