Telangana High Court Suspends Ticket Price Hike for Prabhas’ Raja Saab

The Telangana High Court on Friday put a stop to a government memo that approved an increase in movie ticket prices for ‘Raja Saab’, starring Prabhas, which hit theatres the same day. The order had been issued by the special chief secretary of the home department, prompting immediate legal scrutiny.

A bench of the High Court expressed sharp displeasure over the government’s decision, stating that such orders were being passed in clear disregard of earlier court directions on regulating cinema ticket pricing. The court noted that despite repeated assurances from senior state ministers that ticket rates would not be raised, officials continued to approve price hikes for select films.

While hearing an urgent petition challenging the late-night memo issued on Thursday, Justice NV Shravan Kumar questioned why officials were ignoring both ministerial instructions and binding judicial rulings. He observed that public statements made by ministers opposing ticket hikes stood in direct contrast to the actions of the departments concerned.

The court’s decision comes close on the heels of a similar case from December 2025, when ticket price hikes for the Tollywood film ‘Akhanda 2’, featuring Nandamuri Balakrishna, were suspended. In that instance, contempt proceedings were initiated against the special chief secretary, though those proceedings were later stayed by a division bench.

Justice Shravan Kumar remarked that instead of granting approvals on a film-by-film basis, the state government should re-examine its existing government order (GO) that governs movie ticket pricing. He pointed out that a division bench had earlier laid down guidelines that are mandatory for the government, its officials, and even the judiciary, unless overturned or reviewed by the Supreme Court.

Terming the repeated issuance of such memos as a serious violation, the judge observed that bypassing established legal procedures amounted to willful disobedience of court orders.

During the hearing, the court declined to consider submissions made by the film’s producers, People Media Factory, who highlighted the high production costs and employment generated by the project. Arguments from BookMyShow regarding advance ticket sales and submissions by theatre owners about potential financial losses were also set aside.

Clarifying its stance, the court stated that the matter at hand strictly concerned the legality of the government memo and its consistency with existing laws and orders. The issue was subsequently adjourned for further hearing.

Also read Prabhas' The Raja Saab Returns with a Trimmed Version After Audience Backlash