Producers made Baahubali profit

Vijayawada: The producers and exhibitors of the blockbuster Baahubali, The Conclusion, illegally lined their pockets with nearly Rs 100 crore by charging Rs 50 extra on each ticket from the audience though they do not have any order from the government to that effect, according to information received from the Government under the Right to Information Act.

Dr Ch Divakar Babu, the RTI activist, peeved at charging extra amount by the exhibitors, wrote to the Chief Secretary on June 21, 2017 demanding information from the government whether it had given permission to the exhibitors to charge Rs 50 extra on Rs 150 ticket to watch the movie Baahubali.

When he did not receive any information, the activist preferred to file an appeal to the State Information Commissioner who ordered the government to provide information. Finally, on April 18, 2018, Divakar Babu received a letter dated April 13, 2018 from the Home Department stating that there is no other order issued regarding increase of rates.

The question is why the government took nearly one year to clarify on the issue of extra charge on tickets. Surprisingly, the envelope from the Home Department also contained the Memo dated April 19, 2017 from the Principal Secretary of the Home Department allowing the managements of Multiplex Theatres to screen six shows of Baahubali-2 per day for one week with effect from April 28, 2017 to May 4, 2017.

The Memo also stated that the permission granted temporarily is subject to payment of entertainment tax to the government on usual terms and conditions with necessary changes in B-Form Licence temporarily for a period of one week, so as to avoid heavy rush, black-marketing of tickets and law and order problem. The principal secretary also requested the joint collectors and licencing authorities concerned to take follow up action accordingly in the matter.

The Memo nowhere mentioned that the Multiplex managements could charge extra Rs 50 per ticket. However, in another letter dated April 13, 2018, addressed to Dr Divakar Babu signed by the public information officer and the assistant secretary to the government stated that there is no other order issued regarding increase of rates.

However, the Multiplex managements charged Rs 50 extra on each ticket thus illegally lining their pockets. It may be recalled that Telangana Minister for Cinematography Talasani Srinivas Yadav specifically issued a press statement stating that the government did not give permission to increase the fare.

Noticeably, there was no press statement from the minister of the AP government or the bureaucrats to the effect that there was no order giving permission to increase the fare though the multiplexes were charging extra Rs 50 on each ticket. In addition to the Rs 50 extra, the multiplexes screened six shows per day for more than four weeks throughout the State again violating the rule of permission for one week.

Now the moot point is who should be blamed for the flagrant violation of the government order and illegal collection of extra fare from the audience. In effect, the producers with the connivance of the exhibitors and the government authorities lined their pockets with at least Rs 100 crore extra. It is high time someone should be held responsible for the fiasco and took stringent action against the accused.

By M V Syam Sundar