There is a new twist in the ongoing stand off between the Kannada film industry and multiplexes over the rate of admission.
The film industry has taken out an online petition to urge the government to cap the multiplex price at Rs. 120 on the lines of neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The petition was started on Change.org by filmmaker Dayal Padmanabhan on Sunday, which got over 7,300 signatures in 24 hours. A team of producers and directors are actively carrying on the campaign expecting over 50,000 signatures by the time Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presents his 11th budget. According to producer K.M. Veeresh, noted cine artists Rakshit Shetty, Hariypriya, and Sanjana have supported the cause and appealed to the government to come to the rescue of the Kannada film industry by making an announcement in the budget.
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“We are pleased by the overwhelming public response,” he added.
Prashant, an entrepreneur, complained that the ticket rate varies from Rs. 120 to Rs. 450 in multiplexes in Bengaluru, while there is a cap on the price in Tamil Nadu. ‘ Kannada Film Industry: Challenges and the Way Forward’, a survey based report prepared by T.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) recently recommended that “the government do something about ticket prices in multiplexes”.
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Meanwhile, taking cue from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, the 14-member expert committee appointed by the government to draft film policy for promotion of Kannada cinema, has recommended uniform admission fee and compulsory screening of two Kannada films in a day. It exhorted pressure on the government to make an announcement on the two issues in the budget.
Speaking to The Hindu , S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu, Chairperson, expert committee, said that in Tamil Nadu, the ticket prices are being controlled by the government with a cap on the maximum rate at Rs. 120. “If Tamil Nadu has a policy for theatres, why doesn’t Karnataka? An announcement on this in the budget will be a boost for the crisis-ridden Kannada film industry,” he said.
The film industry, which is asking for protectionist policy, is also urging the government to follow the Maharashtra model by screening Kannada films, by making it mandatory to screen two shows for multiplexes in every screen.
The petition, started by a filmmaker, got over 7,300 signatures
in 24 hours