Telangana HC Set to Rule on Sankranthi Movie Ticket Price Hikes

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 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 an order passed last month by Justice Shravan Kumar of the Telangana High Court.

Justice Shravan Kumar had suspended a memo issued by the Chief Secretary that allowed higher ticket prices for Akhanda 2 and directed the authorities to ensure that tickets were not sold at increased rates. Following this order, Telangana Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy stated that the state government would no longer entertain requests for ticket price hikes.

Despite this stance, the makers of Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu, starring Chiranjeevi and directed by Anil Ravipudi, have submitted a fresh request to the Telangana government seeking permission for revised ticket pricing.

According to reports, the ticket prices sought by the Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu producers include premiere shows on January 11 at 8 pm priced at Rs. 600 across all theatres. For regular shows from January 12 to January 18, the proposed rates are 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. Meanwhile, 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 scheduled in less than 48 hours, all eyes are now on the High Court’s decision and whether the Telangana government will grant approvals in time.