Amid the ongoing tussle between Tollywood and the Andhra Pradesh government over movie ticket pricing, Chiranjeevi visited Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at his residence in Vijayawada on Friday afternoon and had what the actor termed a “very fruitful meeting.”
Post the closed-door meeting that had lasted over an hour, Chiranjeevi addressed the media at the airport and said that the duo talked about issues related to the film industry and exhibitors. He added that the CM had responded positively to his suggestions and had also invited the actor to hear the “other side.”
Chiranjeevi said he was assured by the CM that a mutually-acceptable decision would be taken.
Reddy had told him that a draft regarding the film industry and theatres would be out within a period of one week to 10 days, followed by an official government order in 2-3 weeks. All the issues discussed by the duo at the meeting will be communicated to the special committee that has been set up by the government, the CM further said, and the actor will be invited again for consultation before the order is issued. Chiranjeevi also said he plans to discuss with the stakeholders of the industry regarding the same.
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“The film industry is not rosy or glamorous as it appears to be,” noted Chiranjeevi. “It runs on the hard work of many, most of whom who earn daily wages from it. The pandemic has caused a lot of difficulties and many workers have suffered for months due to non-availability of work,” he added.
With a few personalities from the Telugu film industry having already expressed their disappointment over the ticket issue on public platforms, Chiranjeevi made a request to all industry members to desist from issuing any further statements with their apprehensions.
Chiranjeevi also mentioned that the chief minister had responded positively to his suggestion to allow additional shows at theatres on special occasions. Currently, the number of shows at cinema halls in Andhra Pradesh is capped at four a day.