The indifferent attitude of the Telangana government in granting special permission to increase tickets for the newly-released film “The Raja Saab” at the eleventh hour has come under sharp criticism from film critics as well as audiences.
According to sources, the film distributors had to wait for more than four hours before state cinematography minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy to get the clearance for increasing the ticket rates, by which time the premiere show of the film had to be cancelled.
It was only around midnight that the state government issued a government order (GO), after getting clearance from the minister, to increase the ticket prices for the next 10 days in single screen theatres and multiplexes.
Sources said though chief minister A Revanth Reddy did not object to the increase in cinema ticket prices, he did not want to intervene as it would hurt the ego of Komatireddy.
In fact, the minister was upset for not being informed of the theatre ticket price hike during the release of the movie – Akhanda-2 released in December. He declared it publicly that the officials routinely issued the GO without his knowledge.
So, this time, the distributors and producers sought to appease Komatireddy and get the ticket price hiked. But no decision was taken till Thursday night, as they had to wait for four hours to get the appointment of Komatireddy to satisfy his ego.
The episode clearly shows the Telangana government’s inconsistent approach to cinema ticket pricing. It is taking decisions on a film-by-film basis, rather than adopting a uniform, long-term ticket pricing policy, leaving the industry grappling with uncertainty and operational challenges.
The permissions given to the theatres at the eleventh hour hours before the release of films have become a recurring pattern in Telangana, forcing producers to depend on government clearances instead of operating under a predictable pricing framework.
Film producers say the absence of a consistent ticket pricing policy in Telangana has become a major operational headache. Each major release now requires special representations and negotiations with the government, delaying planning and increasing financial risk.
“Instead of a transparent, industry-wide policy, decisions are being taken on a case-by-case basis. This unpredictability affects release strategies, marketing budgets and revenue projections,” a senior producer said.
Audiences, on the other hand, are increasingly burdened by sudden and steep ticket price hikes, often announced at the last minute.
Moviegoers complain that they are forced to pay significantly higher prices during the crucial opening days, with little clarity on why some films get special permissions while others do not.
Even in Andhra Pradesh, there is no uniform policy on cinema ticket prices, though an attempt was made during the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
There, too, the film producers and distributors are forced to approach deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan or his colleague Kandula Durgesh before every film release, to get the clearance for premiere shows and ticket price increase.
However, for “Raja Saab,” the Andhra Pradesh government gave the GO a couple of days in advance, rather than last minute GO issued by Telangana government. That is the only solace.
By the way, where is Dil Raju and why has he remained silent on the last minute GO for Raja Saab?