On Friday, the Telangana High Court quashed a state government memo allowing a temporary hike in cinema ticket prices for the Prabhas-starring film The Raja Saab, a major Sankranti release. With this, curtains are officially down on Government Orders that allow ticket rate hikes in the state. The lowest ticket will cost Rs 50 (excluding GST) and the highest will cost Rs 300 (excluding GST).
The HC is miffed that there is no consistency in the government's policy with regards to enhanced ticket rates. After the release of Akhanda 2 in December 2025, the Cinematography Minister himself categorically stated that no requests for enhanced rates would be entertained. In a last-minute twist, Prabhas' film got hikes. The HC is unhappy with the government authority who issued the midnight GO, which has since been suspended.
A season of confusion and contradictions:
The government must take the blame for concerning itself with a policy that is best left to market forces. If they want to curb prices to serve the middle-class and the poor, they should stick to it and not do flip-flops.
The Telugu film industry, too, needs to take the blame for adamant persistence to request for enhanced rates. Its bodies are headed by prominent personalities, who should counsel the producers to stay away from reaching out to officials for hikes when the concerned Minister himself is not in favour.
