The meeting between the delegation of Tollywood led by megastar Chiranjeevi with Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy did not take place on Monday, as propagated last week.
However, a delegation of Telugu film producers, distributors and exhibitors held a meeting with state information and public relations minister Perni Venkatramaiah alias Nani, which is believed to be a precursor for the meeting between Chiranjeevi team and the chief minister.
At the meeting of the Tollywood representatives with the minister, the issue of cinema ticket prices hike came up for discussion seriously.
According to sources in the know of developments, a film exhibitor broke down before Nani saying that he had incurred huge losses due to Coronavirus pandemic.
“We cannot run theatres with the reduced cinema ticket rates,” the exhibitor said, while breaking down in an emotional outburst, sources said.
The delegation which held talks with Nani comprised UV Vamsi, Dil Raju, N V Prasad, C Kalyan, Danaiah, Mythri Movie Makers Ravi, Naveen, LVR, Satyanarayana, Vizag Veerraju, Damodar Prasad, Vijayawada Alankar’s Prasad, Ongole Babu and many other theatre owners.
They reportedly requested the minister to give permissions for 100 per cent occupancy and second shows and he reportedly assured them to see that orders were issued to this effect after discussing with the chief minister.
He, however, made them clear that the government would go ahead with online ticketing system and the film industry representatives, too, agreed to it. They told him that nobody in the film industry was against the proposal.
They, however, asked the government to introduce “flexi rates” for the cinema tickets – ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 250, so that the rates would be modified depending on the film and the collections. Nani said he would take up the issue with the chief minister before coming out with any decision.
Speaking to the media after the talks, the minister said that the Tollywood delegation has extended its support for the online ticketing policy.
He said the government wants to ensure that entertainment (movies) is available at affordable rates where the tickets will be offered online at government-set pricing.
He explained that the online ticket system will ensure transparency by curbing the sale of black tickets that burden the public and also keeps a check on tax evasion.
The minister said that the producers, distributors and exhibitors brought various issues to government notice and a decision will be taken after reviewing their requests.
He assured that the government responds positively to any request that benefits the public and said that the only aim of the government is to make entertainment available to the general audience without burning their pockets.