Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Telangana’s Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, and Cinematography, on Friday, encouraged people in the state to go watch films in theatres and announced that there are no plans to cap theatre occupancy.
Currently, Telangana theatres are operating at full occupancy.
The minister’s address to the media comes after a meeting with prominent directors and producers from the Telugu film industry. Filmmakers SS Rajamouli and Trivikram Srinivas, producers Dil Raju and DVV Danayya, and several others, met Yadav on Friday to discuss concerns regarding the pandemic, possibilities of a third wave due to the Omicron variant, and how that will affect the film industry, ticket prices, and other issues.
It is to be noted that the meeting comes at the time when the Telugu film industry is gearing up for a series of big-budget, star-studded releases, such as RRR, Pushpa, and Radhe Shyam, in December and January.
Encouraging the public to watch movies in theatres without fear, the minister assured them that the government is taking full measures to deal with the Omicron variant and the possibility of a third wave. He also urged people not to believe in speculations that theatre occupancy would be capped at 50%, and reiterated that no such rules are being considered.
“The recently release Akhanda has witnessed many people thronging to theatres with footfall increasing. Most of the people in the state have been administered two doses of vaccine,” he noted.
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The minister also said that with big films releasing for Sankrathi (January 2022), issues such as cinema ticket prices and permission for a fifth show at theatres are being discussed by the Telangana government. Yadav further said that there are no plans to reduce ticket prices.
Addressing the media, producer Dil Raju said, “We discussed the issues pertaining to the industry over the past two years. There are big films lined up for releases and the chief minister had asked us if any support was needed from the Telangana government. We came to discuss our existing concerns, such as electricity charges, ticket prices, and Covid-19, with the minister.”