Ticket price hike sparks controversy ahead of Chiranjeevi’s Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu release

Hyderabad: A controversy has erupted ahead of the Sankranti release of Megastar Chiranjeevi’s upcoming film Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu following the Telangana High Court’s refusal to entertain a house motion challenging the government-approved ticket price hike for the movie.

The High Court rejected the house motion and advised the petitioners to mention the matter on the reopening day. The court also left the decision on ticket price enhancement for Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu and Prabhas-starrer The Raja Saab to the discretion of the State government.

Directed by Anil Ravipudi, Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu is scheduled for a theatrical release on January 12. The film features Nayanthara as the female lead, with Venkatesh playing a key role.

No hike for The Raja Saab :

Earlier, the Telangana High Court had stayed the State government’s decision permitting a ticket price hike for The Raja Saab for a week, until January 18, across all theatres, including multiplexes. Suspending the related memo, Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar cautioned the Home Department against deviating from the ticket prices fixed under GO 120 of 2021.

The judge directed the government not to issue any future memos, circulars or executive orders allowing ticket price hikes. Questioning the repeated issuance of such memos despite earlier court directions, the court sought an explanation from the government on why exceptions were being made for certain films.

The High Court clarified that its earlier single-bench order applied only to select films such as Pushpa 2, Game Changer, OG and Akhanda 2, and stated that all future releases must strictly adhere to GO 121, with no deviations permitted.

Ticket hike approved for Chiranjeevi film :

Meanwhile, the Telangana government has approved a ticket price hike for Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu ahead of its release. From January 12 to January 18, single-screen theatres have been permitted to increase ticket prices by Rs 50, while multiplexes can charge an additional Rs 100 per ticket, as per the government order.