Whenever a Telugu Big Film goes for hiked ticket prices, the entire issue turns into a hot topic. Recently, the Telangana High Court’s response to the ticket price hike for Prabhas’ film, The Raja Saab has led to a major discussion and controversy.
The High Court heard petitions filed against the increase in ticket prices for The Raja Saab. Advocate Vijay Gopal argued that authorities are allowing ticket price hikes in violation of rules whenever big films are released. The court took up the hearing on his petition today.
The Raja Saab Ticket Hikes: Telangana Government Under High Court Scrutiny
During the arguments, Vijay Gopal informed the court that the Home Department Secretary does not have the authority to issue memos permitting ticket price hikes. He stated that only district collectors and, in Hyderabad, the Commissioner of Police have the power to approve ticket price increases and benefit shows. After hearing the arguments, the Telangana High Court expressed strong displeasure over the memo issued for the ticket price hike. The court questioned the government, asking why such memos are being cleverly issued during the release of big films.
The judges remarked, “Recently, the concerned minister himself announced that ticket prices would not be increased. Even then, permission is being given repeatedly for ticket price hikes. This is not the first time we are examining such memos. Despite being told many times, why is there no change in your approach? Twenty years ago, Hyderabad had uniform ticket prices, but now prices are increasing every time. This is causing hardship to the common people. We too have gone to movies and we know the ticket prices.”
After the hearing, the High Court delivered a major setback to the producers of The Raja Saab. It suspended the ticket price hike memo issued by the Telangana government and ordered that tickets be sold at the old rates. The court clarified that, as per GO No. 120, movie ticket prices should not exceed ₹350. The single bench also directed the Telangana government not to issue any more memos for increasing movie ticket prices in the future.
