Movie houses in Telangana allowed to run fifth show

In a major relief for movie houses in Telangana, the State government has permitted them to run an additional fifth show in place of the four shows allowed in a day now.

Cinematography Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, who held a meeting attended by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and other senior officials apart from representatives from film industry, said the State government led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was extending every possible support in developing the film industry. Hyderabad is well suited for the film industry and the Chief Minister aims to develop the city as a film hub, he said.

 

Film shootings too would be a hassle free process with permissions to be given through a single-window system, he said, adding that issues raised by the theatre owners would be taken to the notice of Chief Minister at the earliest. At the same time, to ensure transparency in sale of tickets for movies, online ticketing was being introduced. 

With this, movie goers would be able to buy tickets with



lesser service charges as private sites were collecting Rs 20 to Rs 40. The online ticketing facility under the Film Development Corporation would charge only Rs 6 towards service charges, he said.

Since movie houses remained closed during the Covid-19 induced lockdown, film exhibitors have sought waiver of electricity charges and property taxes, and the same would be taken to the notice of the Chief Minister, Srinivas Yadav said.

Meanwhile, representatives of single screen theatre owners said they were also hopeful of the government allowing them to run more additional shows in another 20 days. Commenting on the development, film exhibitor Vijayender Reddy said previously, one had to obtain permission from various departments like the R&B department, Tourism and Culture Department, local police station etc., to shoot films in the city. “Now we won’t have a problem since the government is considering giving permissions all at once through a single window system,” he said.