Dil Raju Denies Theatre Shutdown Rumours Before Pawan Kalyan's Film Release

News18

7 days ago

Last Updated:
Dil Raju denied plans to close theatres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana before Pawan Kalyan's film release, dismissing shutdown rumours.
Renowned Tollywood producer and exhibitor Dil Raju has categorically denied any intention to close theatres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana before the release of Pawan Kalyan's highly awaited film, Hari Hara Veera Mallu. It is set to premiere on June 12.
During a media interaction on Monday, as reported by IANS, Dil Raju asserted, 'No one has the guts to stop the release of Pawan Kalyan's film." He dismissed the rumours about a possible theatre shutdown as unfounded and misleading, attributing them to 'some vested interests."
Clarifying further, Dil Raju, who also leads the Telangana State Film Development Corporation, stated, 'I was not part of any meeting which decided to shut down theatres or the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce gave any such signal. Why would anyone think of stopping Pawan Kalyan movie, who is a big star with a huge following?"
It all began on April 19 when exhibitors and distributors from East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh threatened to close theatres if their long-standing demands were not addressed. However, Dil Raju noted that the situation had improved since then, as 'they softened their stand later as producers understood the problems faced by exhibitors."
Exhibitors across other regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had also raised demands, including a shift to a percentage-based revenue system, but Dil Raju emphasized that 'theatre shutdown was never on the agenda in any meeting."
Despite these clarifications, rumours continued to swirl that the release of Hari Hara Veera Mallu might be impacted. This confusion even irritated the Andhra Pradesh government, according to Dil Raju.
Addressing the issue, Andhra Pradesh's Tourism and Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh, a prominent leader in Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena, suggested a conspiracy behind the theatre shutdown calls and demanded an investigation.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan issued a strong statement criticizing the Tollywood industry for not engaging with the current government. 'Filmmakers come to the government only during the release of their movies," he remarked, condemning the industry's silence and adding, 'The film industry forgot the alleged humiliation meted out to them by the previous government of YSR Congress."
Kalyan also declared that no individual meetings would be allowed with producers or directors over issues like ticket pricing or film releases. 'All communication must go through recognised film associations," he insisted. His comments also touched on broader issues, including transparency in theatre revenues, poor cinema infrastructure, and regulatory confusion over ticket pricing.