<p>Bengaluru: Movie buffs are upset over the high court staying the cap on the prices of movie tickets. </p>.<p>Balu V L, a film buff and lawyer based in Bengaluru, said that the stay was neither good for the people nor for the Kannada film industry.</p>.<p>“The industry will suffer. In Tamil Nadu, there has been a Rs 200-cap on ticket prices for the past 15 years. The front two rows are even today priced below Rs 60 per ticket,” he says.</p>.<p>“Tiruppur Subramanya, a leading exhibitor in TN, for the past 20 years has stressed on the need for a cap on ticket prices. He has on many occasions said that one of the main reasons why Tamil films do well is because of ticket pricing”.</p>.<p>It is also disappointing that home grown production houses like Hombale have filed a petition against the cap.</p>.<p>This also shows that there is no unity in the Kannada film industry, he says, adding, “Why have multiplexes in Tamil Nadu not gone to court”. </p>.<p>Freelance translator Anuroopa calls the move disappointing. “If Hombale Films didn’t have ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ ready for release, I don’t think they would have filed a petition against the cap”. </p>.<p>“Even now the government can get the stay vacated, by citing the TN example. Hombale Films is not bigger than the government, but if the government is not serious about it, nothing can be done,” she says. </p>.<p>Senior journalist Pratibha Nandakumar has a different take on the matter.</p>.<p>“Low ticket prices will affect the Kannada film industry and producers will suffer,” she says. </p>.<p>“The tickets must be priced moderately — it should neither be Rs 200 nor Rs 2,000,” she says.</p>.<p>“Rs 500 per ticket is fine, because people are spending a lot of money on hotels and streaming platforms,” Pratibha adds.</p>.<p>We should also look at the repercussions on Hollywood and big budget distributors who are bringing their films to Bengaluru, she says.</p>.<p>“We prefer going to multiplexes because of the facilities they offer. If there are uniform ticket prices, theatres may remove surround sound and my movie watching experience will not be great,” Pratibha feels. </p>.<p>Madhukar N G, an avid movie fan, believes cinema should be accessible to all.</p>.<p>“It’s a terrible decision to stay the Rs 200 cap order, because we want to experience watching movies on the big screen,” Madhukar said. </p>.<p>“On weekends, the prices are Rs 300 to Rs 400/450, depending on the demand for the movie. With the cap on prices, we had to pay Rs 150 to Rs 200 less, encouraging us to watch a few more movies,” he said.</p>.<p>He believes that the court stay on price cap will only profit multiplexes and big budget movies. </p>.<p>In 2017, the government made a similar attempt, but multiplex chains and exhibitors challenged it in court, leading to the relaxation of the cap.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Movie buffs are upset over the high court staying the cap on the prices of movie tickets. </p>.<p>Balu V L, a film buff and lawyer based in Bengaluru, said that the stay was neither good for the people nor for the Kannada film industry.</p>.<p>“The industry will suffer. In Tamil Nadu, there has been a Rs 200-cap on ticket prices for the past 15 years. The front two rows are even today priced below Rs 60 per ticket,” he says.</p>.<p>“Tiruppur Subramanya, a leading exhibitor in TN, for the past 20 years has stressed on the need for a cap on ticket prices. He has on many occasions said that one of the main reasons why Tamil films do well is because of ticket pricing”.</p>.<p>It is also disappointing that home grown production houses like Hombale have filed a petition against the cap.</p>.<p>This also shows that there is no unity in the Kannada film industry, he says, adding, “Why have multiplexes in Tamil Nadu not gone to court”. </p>.<p>Freelance translator Anuroopa calls the move disappointing. “If Hombale Films didn’t have ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ ready for release, I don’t think they would have filed a petition against the cap”. </p>.<p>“Even now the government can get the stay vacated, by citing the TN example. Hombale Films is not bigger than the government, but if the government is not serious about it, nothing can be done,” she says. </p>.<p>Senior journalist Pratibha Nandakumar has a different take on the matter.</p>.<p>“Low ticket prices will affect the Kannada film industry and producers will suffer,” she says. </p>.<p>“The tickets must be priced moderately — it should neither be Rs 200 nor Rs 2,000,” she says.</p>.<p>“Rs 500 per ticket is fine, because people are spending a lot of money on hotels and streaming platforms,” Pratibha adds.</p>.<p>We should also look at the repercussions on Hollywood and big budget distributors who are bringing their films to Bengaluru, she says.</p>.<p>“We prefer going to multiplexes because of the facilities they offer. If there are uniform ticket prices, theatres may remove surround sound and my movie watching experience will not be great,” Pratibha feels. </p>.<p>Madhukar N G, an avid movie fan, believes cinema should be accessible to all.</p>.<p>“It’s a terrible decision to stay the Rs 200 cap order, because we want to experience watching movies on the big screen,” Madhukar said. </p>.<p>“On weekends, the prices are Rs 300 to Rs 400/450, depending on the demand for the movie. With the cap on prices, we had to pay Rs 150 to Rs 200 less, encouraging us to watch a few more movies,” he said.</p>.<p>He believes that the court stay on price cap will only profit multiplexes and big budget movies. </p>.<p>In 2017, the government made a similar attempt, but multiplex chains and exhibitors challenged it in court, leading to the relaxation of the cap.</p>
