The Andhra Pradesh government gave its nod for the theatres to reopen in the state, which have been forced to shut in the wake of lockdown restrictions. While easing the existing restrictions, the government permitted the theatres to reopen from the 8th of July.
However, the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government gave a big shock to Tollywood by issuing a notification that amending the Government Order (GO) No 1273 under the Andhra Pradesh Cinemas(Regulation) Act, 1955.
The new notification permits the government to fix the ticket fares at the theatres and only the government has the power to announce the prices of the tickets. This is a hammer blow to the industry.
The state government didn't consider the request placed by the biggies in the industries to not clip the ticket fares. The ticket fares of the benefit shows and fans shows will be high compared to the normal tickets and the amount generated by the special shows will be high.
It is said that earlier the bigwigs in the industry have met Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and requested him to not restrict the ticket fares for the first week of the theatrical release. But their requests went in vain.
The government's decision to restrict the ticket fares for the release of Power Star Pawan Kalyan starrer Vakeel Saab earlier in April this year has created a controversy. The government said no to special shows and ticket prices were also reduced.
The issue even reached the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Permitting the hike in ticket prices for three days, the High Court directed the exhibitors that from the fourth day of its release, tickets should be sold as per the normal rates.
The theatres in Andhra Pradesh can resume their operations from tomorrow. However, the occupancy should be capped at 50 percent. Covid protocols like wearing facemasks and physical distance should be followed. The arrangements should be made at the theatres that alternative seats will be used for seating.
On the flipside, Telangana permitted the theatres to reopen with 100 percent occupancy. Besides allowing the theatres, the government directed that Covid guidelines should be followed strictly without any fail.
However, the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government gave a big shock to Tollywood by issuing a notification that amending the Government Order (GO) No 1273 under the Andhra Pradesh Cinemas(Regulation) Act, 1955.
The new notification permits the government to fix the ticket fares at the theatres and only the government has the power to announce the prices of the tickets. This is a hammer blow to the industry.
The state government didn't consider the request placed by the biggies in the industries to not clip the ticket fares. The ticket fares of the benefit shows and fans shows will be high compared to the normal tickets and the amount generated by the special shows will be high.
It is said that earlier the bigwigs in the industry have met Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and requested him to not restrict the ticket fares for the first week of the theatrical release. But their requests went in vain.
The government's decision to restrict the ticket fares for the release of Power Star Pawan Kalyan starrer Vakeel Saab earlier in April this year has created a controversy. The government said no to special shows and ticket prices were also reduced.
The issue even reached the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Permitting the hike in ticket prices for three days, the High Court directed the exhibitors that from the fourth day of its release, tickets should be sold as per the normal rates.
The theatres in Andhra Pradesh can resume their operations from tomorrow. However, the occupancy should be capped at 50 percent. Covid protocols like wearing facemasks and physical distance should be followed. The arrangements should be made at the theatres that alternative seats will be used for seating.
On the flipside, Telangana permitted the theatres to reopen with 100 percent occupancy. Besides allowing the theatres, the government directed that Covid guidelines should be followed strictly without any fail.