The Hyderabad Police led by V.C. Sajjanar has successfully arrested Ravi Immadi, the owner of the notorious piracy website iBOMMA piracy website. However, the reactions on social media are very different. Instead of celebrating the arrest of such a notorious piracy administrator, many are sympathizing with him.
A significant number of people, directly or indirectly have started supporting the iBOMMA website owner, arguing that Telugu movie producers have become greedy and are squeezing audiences with high ticket prices-not just in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, but even in the United States. Even in the US, ticket prices have become exorbitantly high, making it difficult for a family to afford a movie.
There are two key issues to notice here. First, while watching pirated movies is illegal, most viewers do not realize they are breaking the law or feel guilty about it. Even if they are law-abiding and decent in their personal lives, they do not see piracy as a wrongdoing. This is a fundamental problem. Most people who watch pirated movies do not empathize with the producers, who invest a huge amount of money and effort into making the films.
Second, social media has split sharply on this issue. Many users are now challenging the police and producers who advise people not to watch pirated content. Their argument centers around high ticket prices and how audiences are being “squeezed.” While this does not excuse piracy, it is an interesting debate highlighting that ticket pricing is a real concern for audiences-and they are very vocal about it.
The bigger question is whether producers will ever stop raising ticket prices and going after government ticket rates hikes? Judging by current trends, that seems highly unlikely.
