Maverick director Ram Gopal Varma who found fault with the AP government on movie ticket prices, urged the film industry people to speak up on the issue else it would be too late to handle it in near future.
“It is not my request, but it is my demand to all my colleagues in the film industry to speak up on their true feelings about the ticket rates issue because ippudu nollu moosukunte inkeppatikee theravaleru ..Tharvatha Mee kharma,” tweeted RGV.
Before that the director posted a series of tweets tagging AP cinematography minister Perni Nani and also proposed a new strategy to deal with the ticket prices row. RGV proposed that the government can buy the tickets and sell to poor people at lower prices and in this way, the state government can get votes whereas film industry can recover its investment.
“Dear honourable minister of cinematography @perni_nani Sir, I humbly request you or your representatives to answer the following questions sir.. What precisely is the role of government in deciding a market price of any product including films sir? I understand government might intervene and fix a price below or above the equilibrium when there’s a dire shortage of an essential commodity like wheat, rice, kerosene oil etc, But how does that apply to films sir? It’s basics of economics that a forced lowering of price even in food grains will make farmers lose motivation thus causing shortages creating lack of quality, and the same theory will also apply to Film production sir,” said RGV.
Comparing cinema with the essential commodity, the director further wrote, “In case you feel cinema is so essential for the poor then why doesn’t the government subsidise it like how you do it for medical and educational services by paying the balance from the government’s pocket sir? Like RATION SHOPS were created to give rice, sugar etc to benefit the poor, would u consider creating RATION THEATRES sir? Administered price is fixed by the government below or above the equilibrium in specific situations. What specific situation did you recognise in the present day film industry scenario sir?”
Suggesting dual price system, RGV added, the solution can be in theory of a dual price system where producers can sell tickets at their price and government can buy some tickets and sell it to poor at lower prices so that we get our money and you get your votes.
Yet again RGV backed the Tollywood heroes who charge a bomb of remuneration. “I would like your honourable team to understand that pricing of heroes like @alluarjun @pawankalyan @urstrulymahesh etc is nothing but a subtract between production cost and the expected recovery based on track record,” summed up RGV.
Good to see someone like RGV voicing his opinion and supporting industry which is struggling and the fear of Covid-19 is still haunting in the form of new variant.
Tags Perni Nani Ram Gopal Varma