OG Movie Ticket Prices: Pawan Kalyan Under Fire for Ignoring Telangana HC Order

Despite the Telangana High Court’s order suspending the government’s memo allowing a hike in ticket prices for Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG, several moviegoers have questioned whether the order has been implemented.

In a setback to Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan, the Telangana High Court on Wednesday (September 24) took strong exception to the government raising movie ticket prices for both benefit and regular shows.

Passing an interim order, Justice Shravan Kumar sought clarification on who the benefit shows were intended to benefit – the people or the exhibitors? The court observed that steep ticket prices would place an undue burden on the common man.

While the state government reportedly approved the special pricing citing “industry demand,” the court questioned whether public interest was being overlooked in the process.

Ahead of the film’s release on September 25 (Thursday), the Telangana Principal Secretary (Home) issued a memo on September 24, allowing benefit show prices of Rs 800, with a hike of Rs 100 for single screens and Rs 150 for multiplexes, for regular shows valid until October 4.

Challenging the Principal Secretary’s order, advocate Barla Mallesh Yadav termed it arbitrary, illegal, and beyond his authority. He argued that under the Andhra Pradesh Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1955, only the Commissioner of Police, as the licensing authority for Hyderabad and Secunderabad, can fix admission rates. He also cited GO Ms. No 120 (2021) and prior high court directions requiring strict adherence to prescribed rules.

The court pointed that the challenge targeted the government’s executive order on pricing, not licensing. It suspended the memo and directed the Hyderabad police commissioner to enforce the CBFC’s “A” rating, admitting only adults. The case is listed for further hearing on October 9.

Meanwhile, netizens have flagged that the court’s order has not yet been implemented, bringing Pawan Kalyan and the film’s makers under intense scrutiny.