Telangana Government Bans Ticket Hikes & Benefit Shows: New Mandates for Tollywood

The Telangana government has issued a significant mandate for the Telugu film industry, disallowing ticket price hikes and benefit shows. This decision comes in the wake of the Sandhya Theater stampede incident, which prompted Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to focus on addressing issues within the Tollywood industry.

A meeting between Tollywood representatives and the Telangana government today aimed to discuss critical concerns, including benefit shows, ticket price adjustments, and other pressing matters. However, to the industry’s surprise, the government stood firm on its stance, announcing a series of mandates.

Key Mandates for Tollywood:

1. No benefit shows or arbitrary ticket price hikes.
2. Actors to participate in campaigns promoting the Caste Census Survey.
3. Heroes, heroines, and the industry to lead anti-drug awareness campaigns.
4. Mandatory anti-drug awareness videos to be screened before movies in theaters.
5. A special cess to be imposed on movie tickets.
6. Film events will require prior permissions and adequate security.

In a statement, CM Revanth Reddy emphasized:
“We are not against Tollywood. We are committed to solving its challenges. A committee will be formed to explore concessions for shooting in Telangana. However, benefit shows will not be allowed, and we stand by our commitment made in the Assembly.”

This unexpected directive is set to reshape how Tollywood operates within the state. While the government promises support for industry growth, these restrictions signal a new chapter for Telugu cinema.