Date:27/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/27/stories/2007092761200600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Move to check ‘Chirutha’ hype

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: The district administration has decided to enforce some regulatory measures in time for the release of ‘Chirutha’, the debut film of mega star Chiranjeevi’s son Ramcharan Teja, on Friday.

At a special meeting with representatives of 12 cinema theatres that will be screening the movie, Sub-Collector Gaurav Uppal on Wednesday warned them against taking advantage of the mob mania and deviating from rules.

Mr. Uppal wanted theatre owners to take all measures to prevent over-crowding and black-marketing of tickets.

He also wanted them to take adequate security measures to avoid any untoward incident. Making it clear that it was the responsibility of the theatre owners to ensure that no inconvenience was caused to the viewers.

He referred to the set of rules issued by the Joint Collector with regard to the sale of tickets and the show timings, which, he said, must be strictly adhered to.

Advance booking

The option of advance booking of tickets was open only for the balcony class and, that too for the first three days of the show only. For the remaining shows, only ‘current booking’ of tickets should be allowed. Taking advantage of the public craze, tickets should not be sold for a higher rate and all measures should be taken to avoid any possible stampede. If need be, the owners must take the help of the police in maintaining order on the premises of the cinema hall, he said.

Mandal Revenue Officer, Vijayawada urban, Ramesh Babu, secretary of Cine Exhibitors’ Association Bhupal Prasad and owners of Apsara, Alankar, Annapurna, Navrang, Srinivas Mahal, Narayan, Lakshmi Prasanna, Mayuri Palace, Vijayalakshmi, Sri Ramgopal, Swarna Delux and Venkateswara Delux participated.