Tug-of-war in Andhra Pradesh over cinema ticket prices

Visakhapatnam: The film fraternity and the Andhra Pradesh Government are trading charges against each other over the latter's decision to regulate movie ticket prices even as in Telangana the cinema industry has been allowed to increase the rates.

While several ministers including Perni Venkataramaiah, Botcha Satyanarayana, P Anil Kumar Yadav and K Kannababu accused the industry of taking the movie-goers for a ride with exorbitant ticket rates, the industry came down heavily on YSRCP Government for snatching away their freedom to fix the prices.

Launching a tirade against the crackdown against the cinema industry, natural star Nani said a kirana shop owner near a theatre will earn more than a cinema hall owner. "This will be an insult to the movie-goers," he remarked.

Siddharth of Atta fame said cinema producers, heroes and distributors are contributing huge amounts to the government so as to fund extravagant spending by the ministers and others. Film producer and politician Ambika Krishna said the government should deal a body blow to the industry which provides jobs to many and should consider their demand sympathetically.

On the other hand, the government thinks that the producers and actors of big budget films are taking everyone for a ride. The government feels that the industry is involved in huge tax evasion. Sources say the government gets only Rs 20 crore from entertainment tax collected from cinema ticket sales. Telugu and Tamil films account for a lion's share of revenue to the Indian film industry. According to a report released by an industrial body in 2020, Telugu and Tamil film industry earned a revenue of $2.7 billion during 2018-19.

"We have been badly ravaged by Covid-19 for the past two years. Now with lowering of tariff it is better to shut down our theatres than running them. As such, there is no reprieve from minimum power tariff, property tax and maintenance expenses for us during the pandemic," Samba Murty, a noted cinema hall owner in Visakhapatnam told Bizz Buzz on Sunday.

As per GO Ms No 35, the price fixed for cinema tickets in corporation areas is from Rs 20 to Rs 250, municipal areas Rs 15 to 150, nagar panchayat Rs 10 to Rs 120 and gram panchayat Rs 5 to 80 based on location and amenities. There is also a restriction on the number of shows when a big budget movie is released going by the experience during release of big budget films like Vakil Saab and Pushpa.