Maybe Andhra Pradesh government felt audiences wouldn’t come to theatres during pandemic: Balakrishna on ticket pricing issue

Nandamuri Balakrishna has finally reacted to the ongoing movie ticket pricing issue in Andhra Pradesh.

The actor said he was of the opinion that the government had probably felt that audiences wouldn't come to theatres during the pandemic, but the success of his film Akhanda (2021) could have helped restore its confidence.

The actor, who was speaking at an event organized to celebrate the film's impressive box-office run, was asked to comment on the matter.

“It is not my opinion alone that matters in this regard. As an industry, we need to come together and discuss the issue and place our concerns in front of the government. We should also understand that the government makes quite an earning from the entertainment industry. I think maybe the government thought audiences won’t come to theatres during the coronavirus pandemic,” Balakrishna said, indirectly hinting that this could be the reason behind the slashed ticket prices. 

He added: “The success of our film Akhanda would've given them the confidence to take our suggestions into consideration. Maybe this success is the beginning of a new story. 

Akhanda has grossed over Rs100 crore at the box office.

The film, which marks Balakrishna's reunion with director Boyapati Srinu, sees the actor play dual roles. The film also stars Pragya Jaiswal and Meka Srikanth. 

Balakrishna will soon commence shooting for an as-yet-untitled Telugu project with Gopichand Malineni. The makers recently revealed that Shruti Haasan and Kannada star Duniya Vijay will also star in the film. 

Balakrishna recently donned the hat of a chat show host with Unstoppable, which is being streamed on the Aha OTT platform.