Wed Dec 04 07:00:00 UTC 2024: ## Telangana High Court Refuses to Stay Pushpa-2 Ticket Price Hike
**Hyderabad, December 4, 2024** – The Telangana High Court has refused to immediately stay the significantly increased ticket prices for the blockbuster film *Pushpa-2*. The court questioned the basis for intervention, stating that the government itself had approved the price hike. However, the court expressed concerns about the financial burden on families, noting that a movie outing for ten people could cost ₹8,000. The court also raised concerns about the health risks to children attending late-night and early-morning benefit shows. Further, the court questioned the implementation of promised government benefits for theaters built on government land.
A petition challenging the price hike and the scheduling of late-night shows was filed by Satish Kamal of Chandanagar. His lawyer argued that the additional revenue generated isn’t going to charity but directly to the producers’ pockets and that the late-night shows are dangerous, given the weather conditions. The film’s producer, Maitri Movie Makers, countered that the high budget necessitated the price increase and that the late-night shows were solely for fans.
The court ordered Maitri Movie Makers to file a counter-affidavit and adjourned the hearing until December 17.
Separately, another petition was filed by Sararapula Srisailam of Secunderabad, alleging that *Pushpa-2* promotes smuggling and sends a negative message to society. Justice Mousumi Bhattacharya dismissed this petition, imposing a fine on the petitioner for wasting the court’s time by attempting to halt the film’s release based solely on the trailer, without waiting for a proper assessment of the film’s content. The court stated that halting the movie would cause significant financial losses to the producers and director. The amount of the fine will be announced later and will be used to support victims of human trafficking, women, and children.
First Piper 