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Exhibitors accused of fleecing moviegoers
Highlights
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State governments are accused of turning a blind eye to exhibitors and distributors of recently-released Telugu movie ‘Lion’ starring Balakrishna and Trisha, scalping tickets at the rate between Rs 200 and Rs 300 each one for first three days.
- Tickets are scalped five to six times the original rate
- Exhibitors conduct auction for black market ticketing and highest bidder bags it
- Black market went unchecked for first three days after the release of ‘Lion’ starring Balakrishna and Trisha
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State governments are accused of turning a blind eye to exhibitors and distributors of recently-released Telugu movie ‘Lion’ starring Balakrishna and Trisha, scalping tickets at the rate between Rs 200 and Rs 300 each one for first three days.
Though tickets were sold in black for three days and thus fleecing the theatre-going public for the first three days, the two governments failed to curb the menace. Natti Kumar, former president, producers’ sector, Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, said the tickets were sold on the black market in almost all 1,000-and-odd theatres across the two Telugu-speaking States.
“The operation black market was carried out under the very nose of tax officials and thus depriving both the states of huge revenue. In fact, theatre-going public are forced to pay through the nose whenever big star films are released by selling tickets at the rates ranging between 8 and 10 times the original rate.
There is a nexus among exhibitor-distributor-black market mafia. It is high time that the government woke up and curbed the menace.” The ticket rates in city, districts and small towns ranges anywhere between Rs 20 and Rs 75 each one through a counter, but greedy exhibitors, distributors join hands and sell those tickets in black to make fast buck and thus cheating government.
Exhibitors reportedly conduct “auction” for black market thugs and highest bidder bags the ticket for each show. For instance, a theatre with 500-seating capacity with unofficial ticket price fixed at Rs 200 each would set a base price of Rs 1 lakh per show while conducting auction.
Then bidders would hike the price depending on popularity of star and it would go up to Rs 1.5 lakh or even Rs 2 lakh at times and then the black marketeers sell the tickets at the rate of Rs 200 and 300 each to recover their investment by brutally exploiting star-crazy viewers.
“This auctioning business has made poor man’s only source of entertainment, cinema, unaffordable which is in turn encouraging piracy and affecting the industry,” rued Prasanna Kumar, general secretary, Telugu Film Producers Council. Exhibitor and president of Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce Vijayender Reddy, however, dismissed the charges against the exhibitors. “We sell tickets in accordance with rules prescribed by the government,” he asserted.
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