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As the Sankranti film season approaches in Tollywood, attention has shifted to ticket price hikes and special early shows for big-budget releases such as The Raja Saab and Mana Shankar Vara Prasad Garu, both set to hit theatres within days of each other.

With massive investments at stake, the producers of both films are keen on securing permissions for ticket price hikes and additional shows in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, aiming to capitalize on the heavy festive rush. Applications have already been submitted to both state governments seeking the necessary approvals.

The latest update reveals that the makers of The Raja Saab and Mana Shankar Vara Prasad Garu have now approached the Telangana High Court, filing special petitions to allow ticket price enhancements and extra shows during the festival period in order to recover their investments. Last year, a single-judge bench had passed a strict order in the public interest, disallowing movie ticket price hikes. The court had also suspended the government orders that granted such permissions for Akhanda 2, while pulling up the Telangana government for repeatedly overlooking its directions.

As a result, the Telangana government cannot act on ticket hikes or early shows unless fresh directions are issued by the court. Both production houses have requested the High Court to set aside the earlier orders and direct the State Home Secretary to grant permissions for enhanced ticket prices and special shows. An urgent house motion petition was filed by the producers’ counsel seeking an immediate hearing on Tuesday. However, the court stated that the matter will be heard on Wednesday.

The verdict is expected to play a crucial role in determining the opening box office range of both films. If the court issues favourable orders, the state governments are likely to entertain the filmmakers’ requests.

While The Raja Saab stars pan-India superstar Prabhas, Mana Shankar Vara Prasad Garu features Megastar Chiranjeevi in the lead role. With enormous expectations riding on both projects, they are widely anticipated to register strong openings across the Telugu states.