As night settles in, the Indian Railways’ rules take over, from folded berths to silent coaches, ensuring every passenger rests without disruption
Balakrishna’s film Akhanda 2 was originally supposed to hit the screens on December 5. Back then, as the film neared its release, the advance bookings and ticket sales were average at the box office. But after the film was postponed by a week, Akhanda 2 is witnessing a massive turnaround for advance booking.
A couple of weeks ago, the buyers of Akhanda 2 were under the impression that Balakrishna was overdue to deliver something big. They felt that Akhanda 2 wasn’t generating the desired buzz to trigger ticket sales, especially after the first instalment was a blockbuster. But things have changed dramatically within a week. The postponement of Akhanda 2 by Madras High Court due to an unpaid earlier arbitration by the producers became the hottest topic. Filmmakers’ subsequent negotiations with concerned stakeholders, followed the court clearance have all added to film’s the buzz. The advance bookings that have opened in Telangana (Nizam), Andhra Pradesh and overseas is a clear indication of the development. Earlier, before the December 5 release, the numbers weren’t this staggering. But the buzz is palpable as the film is set to open in record numbers.
Earlier, the G.O. was not issued by Telangana even hours before the scheduled premieres. But now it has issued a fresh G.O. in relation to the ticket rate hike for Balakrishna’s Akhanda 2. The bookings for the premiere shows are scheduled from 9 PM (Thursday) and will be priced around Rs. 600. The hikes are allowed only till the first three days. For regular shows, the ticket prices have increased by Rs. 50/- (including GST) in single screens and Rs. 100/- (including GST) in multiplexes. So the new fares are set at Rs. 395/- in multiplexes and Rs. 227/- in single screens. The revised G.O. also makes it clear that Akhanda 2 team should give 20 percent of the incremental revenue to the ‘Telugu Film Industry Employees Federation’ (as suggested by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy). In Andhra Pradesh too, the government gave permission for premiere (December 11) tickets to be priced at Rs 600 (including GST). From December 12, for the next 10 days, an approval of Rs 100 and Rs 75 for multiplexes and single screens respectively, were approved.
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