Jana Sena Party president and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s recent announcement that the state government will no longer entertain individual requests for ticket price hikes for newly released films is being seen as a strategic move to benefit his upcoming film, Hari Hara Veera Mallu.
Both Pawan Kalyan and the state's Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh, also from the Jana Sena Party, issued statements declaring that personal appeals or direct negotiations regarding film matters will no longer be considered.
Instead, all discussions will be routed through official representatives from the film industry, who will communicate with the government.
The government, in turn, will evaluate and decide on the requests. A committee has already been appointed to periodically review proposals for ticket price revisions.
With Hari Hara Veera Mallu scheduled for release on June 12, Pawan Kalyan, being the Deputy CM, cannot directly ask the minister to issue a GO for ticket price enhancement.
Likewise, producer A M Ratnam cannot directly approach the government, as both the Deputy CM and the Cinematography Minister are from the same party.
According to the new procedure, producer Ratnam will submit a formal proposal — including production costs and other relevant details — to an authorized industry body. This body will then forward the request to the government for consideration.
Neither Pawan Kalyan nor the producer will be involved directly in seeking approval for ticket hikes. The government-appointed committee will examine the proposal and make a final decision.
Interestingly, the committee includes both government officials and film producer Vivek Kuchibhotla, who is reportedly a business associate of TG Vishwa Prasad — someone known to have close ties with Pawan Kalyan.
Sources suggest that this structure is a calculated effort to shield Pawan Kalyan from any criticism or controversy over ticket pricing decisions.
There are also reports indicating that Pawan Kalyan is planning to introduce regulations around theatre leasing practices, pushing for owners to manage their theatres directly, rather than allowing a few powerful individuals to control large clusters of theatres.
