Hyderabad: Even after meeting Telugu film industry heavyweights on Thursday, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy stuck to his decision of not allowing any more concessions for screening movies. He also declined to increase the rates of tickets for new releases and asked the Tollywood stalwarts to respect the law.
The CM also demanded that actors and the film industry at large participate in his government’s campaigns against drugs, support women’s safety initiatives, and promote tourism projects in lieu of support from the state, reports stated.
The meeting comes at a time when Pushpa 2 actor Allu Arjun is facing heat for a stampede that killed one woman during the premiere of his film in Hyderabad. The CM said there would be no more roadshows by actors and cast members during film premieres if permission has not been granted by the police.
He told them that the behaviour of bouncers will be under scrutiny. Those who hire them as personal security will be held accountable and responsible for their actions, the CM said. The CM also warned that event managers should not try to hoodwink the police by claiming that a limited number of invites or passes were issued, even if the anticipated crowd was beyond capacity.
The CM told the delegation, which included Arjun’s father Allu Aravind, that neither he nor his government was acting against the actor or the film industry, adding that he was stung by the ‘unfair amount of criticism’ his government faced.
