The Telangana government has issued a Government Order allowing theatres to hike the ticket prices of Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram movie, releasing for Sankranti, January 12. As per the G.O issued on January 9, single screen theatres were permitted to hike the ticket price by Rs 65, and Rs 100 for multiplexes, essentially Rs 250 for a ticket in a single screen and Rs 410 for a ticket in a multiplex screen.
The government also permitted theatres to screen six shows of the film per day, starting from 4 am. This permission is valid for a week, from January 12-18.
Some theatres in Hyderabad including Nexus Mall (Kukatpally), AMB Cinemas (Gachibowli), Brahmaramba Theatre (Kukatpally), Mallikarjuna Theatre (Kukatpally), Arjun Theatre (Kukatpally), Viswanath Theatre (Kukatpally), Gokul (Erragadda), Sudarshan Theatre (RTC X Roads), Rajadhani Deluxe (Dilsukhnagar), Sriramulu Theatre (Moosapet), Sri Sairam Theatre (Malkajgiri), Sriprema Theatre (Tukkuguda), Prasad Multiplex (Necklace Road) have been accorded permission to screen the benefit show at 1 am on Friday, the day of the movie release.
Typically, during festivals or during the release of big star films, the film producers seek permission from the government to hike the price of tickets, aiming to cash in on the demand. The producers also seek government permission for special shows.
While the Telangana government has passed a G.O. entertaining the plea by Guntur Kaaram makers, the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh is yet to accord the permission to increase the ticket prices.
Guntur Kaaram stars actors Mahesh Babu, Sreeleela, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ramya Krishnan and others. The film is directed by Trivikram Srinivas of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo fame. Previously Mahesh Babu and Trivikram Srinivas had collaborated together for Athadu and Khaleja. Music for the film is composed by Thaman S.