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Hyderabad: Telangana Communist Party of India (CPI) leader K Narayan, on Thursday, May 28, opined that cinema shouldn’t become a tool to exploit the audience.

He was referring to a meeting of Tollywood stars where he claimed that the actors decided to demand a share in the additional revenue generated through increased movie ticket prices during film releases.

“Using the excuse of huge production budgets for big films, the film industry has been seeking permission for “benefit shows” and special ticket price hikes, thereby placing an additional burden on common people. State governments are also readily approving these increases, which is unfair to the public,” Narayan said in a video message.

He said that it is unfortunate that the celebrities who met at Chiranjeevi’s residence didn’t discuss making cinema affordable for common people. “Instead, they discussed earning more revenue through benefit shows and special ticket price hikes, thereby placing an additional burden on common people. State governments are also readily approving these increases, which is unfair to the public,” the CPI leader said.

Narayan urged the Telangana Government to adopt a clear and uniform policy regarding movie ticket pricing.

He said that arbitrary hikes in ticket rates in the name of big releases, benefit shows, and special permissions should be strictly regulated.

“Governments must prevent exploitation in the name of promoting art and entertainment,” he added. He blamed the movie ticket price hike for giving rise to piracy and websites such as I Bomma. The CPI leader requested the government to regulate movie ticket prices considering the financial status of the movie goers.