Social Media Erupts Over Raja Saab Premiere Delays
The unexpected delay created confusion among ticket-booking platforms and led to chaos at several theatres in the city.
Superstar Prabhas’ much-anticipated film The Raja Saab was slated for a worldwide release on Friday amid huge trade expectations. With the makers securing permissions for ticket price hikes and premiere shows well in advance, the film was expected to have a large number of special shows across the Telugu states, where the buzz is massive.
While premiere shows commenced smoothly across Andhra Pradesh from 9 PM on Thursday, the film ran into last-minute hurdles in Hyderabad due to a delay in the issuance of the government order. The unexpected delay created confusion among ticket-booking platforms and led to chaos at several theatres in the city.
Irate over the uncertainty surrounding the premiere screenings, Prabhas fans gathered in large numbers and barged into some theatres, demanding that the shows begin immediately. Adding to the confusion, bookings for premiere shows did not open on time, leaving fans frustrated. Many expressed their anguish and pain on social media handles.
The situation reportedly turned tense at Vimal Theatre, where a large crowd assembled outside due to a lack of clear communication regarding show timings. Though bookings eventually opened for shows from 11:30 PM, ticket prices remained at regular rates, with no clarity on when the first premiere shows would actually begin in Hyderabad.
Summing up the tense situation, a leading distributor said, “Premiere shows started very late—after 11.30 PM—in some Hyderabad theatres, and pressure was mounting at multiple locations. In fact, premier shows in several Telangana towns were cancelled.”
The distributor further added, “Government officials in Telangana were reportedly confused due to an earlier court order that had made adverse remarks against ticket price hikes for Akhanda 2. After receiving full clarification from court authorities, officials began processing the ticket permissions, which resulted in a delay of a few hours. The makers should ideally plan things better next time to avoid such last-minute chaos.”