YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is an enigma for his own cabinet colleagues.
Generally, no minister dares to speak to him on any issue even when he is in a normal mood. And when he is in an angry mood, they have no option but to press the mute button.
In the Friday’s cabinet meeting, the ministers had to face a similar situation.
According to reliable sources, representatives of theatres managed some ministers and requested them to take up the issue of increase in the cinema ticket prices with the chief ministers in the cabinet meeting.
They thought one cabinet minister or the other would raise the issue during the cabinet meeting and convince Jagan on the need to increase the ticket prices to rescue the theatre owners from distress.
But the ministers did not dare to raise the issue of theatres after realising that Jagan was in a disturbed and angry mood for reasons known only to him. So, not a single minister opened up on the subject. They confined themselves to discussing the tabled agenda and came out silently.
As a result, all the hopes of the Telugu film industry which was pinning hopes on the cabinet meeting were completely dashed.
At least for now, the issue had come to a pause and would not be brought to the notice of the chief minster in the near future.
The theatre owners are worried as to when their issue would come to Jagan’s notice and even it happens, what his reaction would be.
A minister reportedly told the industry people that they could not take up the issue with Jagan as he was in a very agitated mood.
“The chapter would have to be closed forever, had he said no to our request. That is why, nobody dared to raise the issue,” he told them.
The only hope for the theatre managements is the lifting of night curfew completely after August 15 and allowing 100 per cent attendance in theatres, as has been given in Telangana.
It would at least help release the small and medium budget films. One can wait till October for the release of big-ticket films.
