The Telangana High Court on Wednesday suspended an order of the Telangana government to allow special benefit shows and a hike in ticket prices for Pawan Kalyan's upcoming movie "OG".
The High Court pronounced an interim order on a petition, challenging the memo issued by the Home Department.
The single-judge bench of Justice N. V. Shravan Kumar adjourned the hearing to October 9.
The premier show of "They call him OG" (or simply "OG") starring Pawan Kalyan, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, is scheduled at 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
The movie is set for worldwide release on Thursday (September 25).
On a request made by producer D.V.V. Danayya, the Telangana government issued an order, increasing the "OG" ticket price to help producers recover their massive production costs.
As per the Government Order (GO), a special show is permitted on September 24, with tickets priced at Rs 800 (inclusive of GST). The September 19 order also allowed a hike in ticket prices for a temporary period from September 25 to October 4, 2025.
As per the order, the prices in single-screen theatres would be Rs 277 per ticket (against the standard RS 177), while in multiplexes, it would be Rs 445 per ticket (standard Rs 295).
The petitioner argued that the Special Chief Secretary has no powers to issue such an order. The petitioner’s counsel told the court that only the Police Commissioner has the power to issue such a memo in the jurisdiction of Hyderabad, while in districts, the Joint Collectors concerned can issue the memo.
The petitioner’s counsel also submitted to the court that there are rules that cinema tickets should not be sold at prices higher than the prices already fixed. It was brought to the court’s notice that the Home Department had given an undertaking in this regard at the time of the release of "Game Changer".
Taking the arguments into consideration, the court suspended the government order.
The Andhra Pradesh government has also permitted benefit shows from 1 a.m. on September 25, with tickets fixed at Rs 1,000 including GST. For the next 10 days, single screens in Andhra Pradesh can charge Rs 125 more and multiplexes Rs 150 more on existing rates.
"OG" directed by Sujeeth and produced by DVV Entertainment, is eagerly awaited by Pawan Kalyan’s fans. Ahead of the release, excitement has gripped the fans in both the Telugu states.
A fan purchased a benefit show ticket for the movie titled They Call Him OG for a whopping Rs 1,29,999 at an auction held in Srinivasa Theatre of Choutuppal in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana.
Amudala Paramesh, who hails from Lakkaram village of Choutupalli mandal, bought the ticket at such a steep cost to show his admiration for the star.
Fans enthusiastically participated in the auction for the benefit show scheduled for 1 a.m. on September 25. The amount collected through this auction will be donated to the Jana Sena Party (JSP) led by Pawan Kalyan.
