Last month, the screen sharing issues over Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki and Prabhas-starrer Salaar became the talk of the town. Bollywood Hungama was the first to report the viral news that Salaar makers had decided to pull their film from PVR Inox and Miraj properties in the South after they accused the multiplex chains of ‘unfair trade practice’. A few hours later, thanks to the impact of the article, all parties renegotiated the deal. It was expected that show-sharing would take place. Alas, it didn’t happen. Instead, exhibitors were asked to play either of the two films. As a result, some opted for Dunki while others decided to play Salaar. However, what unfolded in the Telugu industry over the last few days is much more shocking than Salaar vs Dunki screen sharing fight.
On Monday, the exhibition sector across the country got a shock when the famous Prasads Multiplex, Hyderabad cancelled nearly sold-out shows of Hanuman and replaced them with that of Mahesh Babu-starrer Guntur Kaaram. The social media was abuzz with pictures of the famous theatre’s booking page. Earlier, Hanuman had 15 shows and later, the 1:00 pm, 1:30 pm and 7:50 pm shows of Hanuman were cancelled. Meanwhile, Guntur Kaaram was earlier playing in 7 shows. Later on, it got four more shows. A similar scenario was also reported in other centres in Telangana.
An exhibition source told us, “It’s unheard of to see a show, which is nearly house full, being replaced by shows of a film which is not doing as well. This is unacceptable and it would have been understandable if Guntur Kaaram had a huge demand too. However, it hasn’t performed as per expectations while shows of Hanuman are full everywhere. The demand for it is crazy and yet, it’s getting a raw deal.”
Another exhibition insider commented, “Theatres have the power to reduce or increase shows. But this happens as per the demand and supply usually. In an ideal scenario, Hanuman’s shows should have increased while that of Guntur Kaaram should have reduced since the latter is a crowd-puller. But in this scenario, the opposite has happened.”
On Saturday, January 13, a complaint was filed with the Telugu Film Producers Council (TFPC) by Hanuman’s makers alleging unfair theatre practices. TFPC released a statement stating that Mythri Movies Distributors LLP (the distributor) had made an agreement with some theatres in Telangana to screen Hanuman from January 12. But some theatres did not honour the agreement and failed to show the film. Hence, the distributor and producer, Niranjan Reddy, filed a complaint with the TFPC.
The statement remarked that “The theatres did not screen the movie Hanuman as per the agreement. The distributors and producers suffered huge losses. So these theatres must immediately start showing the movie Hanuman and bear the loss so far”. It also said that “Such moves affect the entire Telugu film industry which runs based on faith, morality and justice”.
Hanuman and Guntur Kaaram were not the only Telugu releases during the Sankranthi festival week. Venkatesh-starrer Saindhav released on January 13 while Nagarjuna-starrer Naa Saami Ranga arrived in cinemas on January 14. Hanuman, nevertheless, has emerged as the dark horse as it collected more than Rs. 50 crores in four days and is set for a huge run. Even in Hindi, it has performed beyond expectations.
Meanwhile, On Tuesday, January 16, Prasads Multiplex is playing just 6 shows of Hanuman while Guntur Kaaram has been provided with 8 shows. Interestingly, on Wednesday, January 17, the situation will be reversed as the modern mythological entertainer will have as many as 10 shows while the Trivikram-directorial has been allotted only 6 shows.
Also Read: Guntur Kaaram Trailer: Mahesh Babu starrer is everything you need in a masala film; promises to be as spicy as its title
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