Actor Yogendra Tiku appeals for slashing movie theatre ticket prices

India Gazette

30-05-2025

By Palash Srivastava
New Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): Veteran actor Yogendra Tiku, known for his suppporting roles in movies like 'Neerja', 'Fan', Queen' and 'Dabangg 2' has urged the government to reduce the theatre ticket prices so that more cinemagoers can watch in theatres.
Actor Yogendra Tiku will be next seen in the film 'His Story of Itihaas' which features the battle of a Physics teacher against the inaccuracies present in the history textbooks.
On the sidelines of preview of the film in the national capital on Tuesday, veteran actor Tiku shared his views on the ongoing debate between OTT and theatrical films releases in India.
The actor believes that theatres are responsible for the film business in India but OTT has helped in producing more opportunities for the younger generation of actors.
Speaking to ANI, the actor said, 'Certainly if there is a film business, then it is because of theatres. There is no doubt about it. OTT has its own charm. The biggest advantage of that is that there are a lot of artists who don't get a place because there is a set trend of the film industry that this should be like this, this face should be like this, this should be like this, this much following should be there. There are a lot of things set there which are not on OTT. So many people, many children get a chance to work on OTT.'
The actor urged the Indian government to reduce tickets prices and make other facilities 'affordable' in the theatres so that the general audience can visit the film theatres in large numbers.
'I would say that these film theatres, they should not die. The public should come. But, the tickets have become so expensive, so the government should also do something. The food items, they should also do something. So, it should be so affordable that a normal person can come with his family and watch. Otherwise, slowly the film industry will end, the theatres will end, then it will become difficult,' said Tiku.
The 'Neerja' actor also predicts that Bollywood would be going through a big change soon which will consists of good stories, script, talent and music. He also criticised the trend of producing 'remix' versions of songs in Bollywood.
'I feel that very soon, a change will come in Bollywood. This is what I feel, my personal feeling. A very good change is going to come, where they will again start focussing on good stories, good script, good talent, and good music. Because, music is also getting lost, slowly. Every other day, a new remix comes. Every other day, something happens. So, I don't want that either. I feel that a change will come very soon in Bollywood,' said Yogendra Tiku.
Actress Akanksha Pandey, who is set to debut in the lead role in the film shared her affinity for taking challenges and reading books to distract herself from social media.
On being asked about her inspiration for choosing such a challenging script for her debut movie, the actress said, 'I think, challenging topics excite me. And, I couldn't get a more challenging topic. So, I think, when I heard about this, I felt, that there are very few people who are ready to do this.'
The actress also shared her love for books. 'Whenever I feel that there is a lot of social media, because of, like, we are actors, we have to use it. So, I take the support of books, and I get detoxed.'
The director of 'His Story of Itihaas', Manpreet Singh Dhami, shared his views on the standards of Hollywood and Bollywood films. He believes that India has a potential to outscore Hollywood if the directors receives support from the film industry.
The director said, 'To be honest, Hollywood is not that special anymore. I think their stories have been stale. Very few movies come from there. You see, and it's mathematical. We have a diverse culture, matematically, a lot of amount of stories can emerge from here. It is just that a system of support is created for a good movie then it will happen. You see, our movies, I am not saying because I am an Indian, will be better than Hollywood. And some movies like Malayalam and South Asian movies. Good movies It's not like that. It's just that there is no support. Sometimes, a good director is left behind without support. I was just lucky that I had the courage to do it. But there is no shortage of talent. And Hollywood is not that good anymore. Yes, they were a benchmark at one point of time. I don't think so anymore.'
'His Story of Itihaas' has released in the theatres today. Directed by Manpreet Singh Dhami, the film stars Subodh Bhave, Akanksha Pandey and Yogendra Tiku in the lead roles.
The trailer of the film highlights cinematic inquiry into how deeply textbooks and taught narratives influence generations.
The story follows Namit, a mild-mannered physics teacher whose life takes an unexpected turn when he stumbles upon blatant inaccuracies and ideological biases in his young daughter's history textbook. What begins as a concerned father's frustration soon transforms into an obsession with truth, sending him on a risky journey through India's bureaucratic maze, academic gatekeeping, and political interference, according to a press note shared by the makers. (ANI)