In a significant development ahead of the Sankranti releases, the producers of The Raja Saab and Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu have approached the Telangana High Court, seeking relief on the issue of ticket price hikes and special show permissions.
Producers T. G. Vishwa Prasad, Ishaan Saxena, and Sahu Garapati have filed appeals requesting the court to suspend earlier single judge orders that effectively blocked ticket price increases in Telangana.
This move comes in the backdrop of a key order passed last month by Justice Shravan Kumar of the Telangana High Court. The judge had suspended a memo issued by the Chief Secretary that allowed higher ticket prices for Akhanda 2. He also directed authorities to ensure that tickets were not sold at increased rates. Following this order, Telangana Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy publicly stated that the state government would no longer entertain requests for ticket price hikes.
Despite this, the makers of Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, starring Chiranjeevi and directed by Anil Ravipudi, have now submitted a fresh request to the Telangana government seeking permission for revised pricing.
According to reports, the requested ticket prices by MSG makers are as follows:
Premiere shows on January 11 at 8 PM: Rs. 600 across all theatres
Regular shows from January 12 to January 18: Rs. 227 in single-screen theatres and Rs. 395 in multiplexes
Sources also indicate that the makers of The Raja Saab, starring Prabhas, may seek similar pricing permissions in Telangana.
At the same time, the producers have formally moved the High Court to suspend the earlier single judge order related to ticket hikes. With The Raja Saab Hyderabad premieres just about 48 hours away, all eyes are now on how the court responds and whether the government will grant approvals in time.
