The Paradise Ticket Hike Gets Telangana High Court Shock

The Paradise Ticket Hike in Telangana

The Paradise has hit a fresh hurdle in Telangana just before its theatrical release. The Telangana High Court has asked the state government to reconsider the memo that allowed higher ticket prices and a special premiere for the Nani starrer.

The court questioned the manner in which the September 20 memo was issued. The government had earlier introduced conditions for granting ticket-price hikes to films with budgets above Rs 100 crore. The court also sought clarity on whether the conditions, including the provision related to cine workers’ welfare, had been fulfilled in the case of The Paradise.

The timing of the approval also came under scrutiny. Earlier directions required proposals for ticket-price hikes to be placed in the public domain well in advance, allowing objections to be raised. In this case, the permission came only days before the film’s release. The court questioned the reasoning behind such a last-minute decision and left it open to the government to reconsider the memo and consider withdrawing it.

The situation is different in Andhra Pradesh, where permission has already been granted for increased ticket prices for The Paradise. The film has been allowed a special premiere, followed by enhanced ticket rates for a limited period after its release.

With the film arriving in theatres on September 24, the ticket-price issue has now become an additional talking point around its release. The matter has been posted to October 6 for filing of the government’s counter-affidavit.