Actor-producer Mohan Babu has become the latest celebrity to share his opinion on the ongoing controversy over the Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to cap the price of cinema tickets. Mohan on Sunday posted on Twitter a letter, addressing the film industry. He said that everybody should come together, adding that the film industry doesn’t belong only to a particular set of families or heroes.
Mohan has said that it is difficult for big-budget films to sustain with tickets priced at Rs 30 to Rs 50. He said that proctors are worst-affected due to the capping of cinema halls tickets by the Andhra Pradesh government.
“I do not want to be the industry’s head. The film industry is not the monopoly of anyone. It also doesn’t mean four heroes, four producers, or four distributors. It is the dreams and lives of thousands of artists. We should also work together to explain our problems to the Chief Ministers of both states,” he said in his letter.
Alleging that the Producers’ Council is not taking forward the ticket price issue properly, Mohan Babu said that everyone needs to work together and request the governments to lift the restrictions on the cinema ticket prices.
Mohan also recalled the time when the film industry was facing similar situations under late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.
He said that in the film industry, there are people associated with different political parties and ideologies. But, everyone should set aside the party lines and respect Chief Ministers who are elected by the people while approaching the governments to solve the issue.
Andhra Pradesh government had on April 8, 2021, issued an order fixing the rates for cinema halls tickets. Theatre owners expressed their anger following the government’s decision. Actors including Chiranjeevi, Nani and several others have expressed their opinion on the matter in the past.
After the Andhra Pradesh High Court order on theatre owners petitions, the state government had on December 28, 2021, set up a committee comprising all stakeholders to decide on the prices.
