The Telangana High Court's latest order has put Ram Charan's Peddi in a difficult situation. The court has clearly ruled that the Telangana government can approve a movie ticket price hike only if the order is issued at least 90 days before the film's release.
This puts an end to last minute approvals and midnight GOs.
Because of this ruling, any film releasing in Telangana before April 19 is not eligible for a ticket price hike. Since Peddi is scheduled to release on March 27, higher ticket prices in Telangana are ruled out for the film.
Peddi is carrying massive expectations, and the buzz is already high. The song Chikiri has become popular, and trade circles believe the film has pan India potential. However, films mounted on this scale usually depend on higher ticket prices in Telangana to recover their costs.
With no permission for a price hike, there is now talk that the makers might postpone the release as the openings might get negatively impacted. However, delaying the film risks losing the momentum it has built so far. The Peddi buzz is solid right now, and the producers want to fully capitalize on it. Waiting another 5-6 months would place an unnecessary burden on the team to maintain the same hype.
Producers are clearly unhappy with the court's decision. Most of the time, there is no clarity even for release dates 90 days before release and in such a situation applying for ticket hikes three months in advance is not practical but a harsh joke.
The makers now have to make a crucial decision. They must either release the film as scheduled without a hike or postpone it and wait for a window where higher prices are legally possible. The makers may most probably delay the film by a month or two, as in addition to the ticket hike issue, Dhurandhar 2 is also releasing on March 19, just one week prior to Peddi's date. Clashing with it does not seem like a smart move when Dhurandhar 2 has so much hype and craze.