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GO remains on paper as exhibitors fill coffers
Die-hard fans of Tollywood potboilers, who thronged multiplexes and fleapits expecting to buy tickets for a cheaper rate to watch the much-publicised period drama ‘Rudramadevi’, were disillusioned as the exhibitors did not transfer the benefits of the government order exempting the movie from entertainment tax.
Movie-goers shell out full ticket price despite the government’s much-publicised announcement of tax exemption to big-budget flick
Hyderabad: Die-hard fans of Tollywood potboilers, who thronged multiplexes and fleapits expecting to buy tickets for a cheaper rate to watch the much-publicised period drama ‘Rudramadevi’, were disillusioned as the exhibitors did not transfer the benefits of the government order exempting the movie from entertainment tax.
It may be recalled that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao announced 25 per cent entertainment tax exemption to the big-budget movie as its story revolved around Telangana history. However, his move did not yield fruits on the first two days of the film’s opening as the exhibitors and distributors were reluctant to transfer the benefit to the viewers.
Even though, the TRS government issued a GO to slash ticket rates to make it affordable to more viewers in 10 districts of the State, 400-odd theatres were busy drawing opening collections without out slashing the existing ticket rates of Rs 100 to Rs 30.
“It is true that Telangana exhibitors didn’t reduce the ticket rates by 25 per cent for the first two days but they will implement it soon,” admits Vijayendar Reddy, exhibitor and former president of Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce.
Another producer who does not want to be named blames it on the government officials who misled the Chief Minister in issuing the GO hurriedly.
“They didn’t give a deep thought to it and just rehashed an old GO and changed the name of the film and permitted theatres to cut 25 per cent, which benefits neither the viewer nor the government in the first two weeks,” he adds.
However, Vijayendar Reddy puts up a different argument, “For ages, ET exemptions have benefitted only offbeat and art movies as low ticket rates fetched them more crowds but not big budget flicks.”
For a Rs 70-crore budget movie like Rudhramadevi, all stakeholders bank on huge openings, to recover their investments, so reducing ticket rates will cut into their revenues in crores.
“Opening collections have become do-or-die for big budget movies these days. So we can’t blame only exhibitors for not implementing the GO because they will surely do it after two or three weeks.
Rather the government should give ET exemptions to promote small and tasteful Telangana movies and also it should be prepared to forgo ET from a particular film like they do in Tamil Nadu, which would give a boost to Telangana films ” adds Reddy.
By:B V S Prakash
