The Karnataka High Court Tuesday granted an interim stay against the Rs 200 cap on cinema tickets in the wake of the upcoming release of Kantara: Chapter 1, starring Rishab Shetty, on October 2.
Hombale Films, the makers of Kantara: Chapter 1, and the Multiplex Association of India are among the several petitioners who approached the Karnataka High Court against the new regulations capping movie ticket prices at Rs 200 (excluding taxes) across the state.
As previously reported by The Indian Express, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for the Multiplex Association in the initial hearing last Tuesday before a bench of Justice Ravi V Hosamani. He questioned the reasoning behind fixing the prices at that point. He also drew an analogy to airline prices, pointing out that it could not be mandated that all airline seats had to be economy seats.
Senior advocate Dhyan Chinappa, appearing for Hombale Films, said the new regulation had been added to a rule related to the setting up of ticket booths, with no connection to the pricing of tickets. He also stated that the investments made by filmmakers had not been accounted for.
For the government, Additional Advocate General Ismail Zabiulla said this step had been taken in the public interest. At the same time, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce also filed an impleading application opposing any interim order favouring the petitioners.
The detailed order by the Karnataka High Court in the interim stay order on price capping is awaited.
The price ceiling, announced on September 12, followed the government’s amendment to the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) Rules, 2014. The new regulations are officially known as the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulation) (Amendment) Rules, 2025.
Story continues below this ad
The cap does not affect multi-screen premium cinemas with fewer than 75 seats. This policy was previously introduced in the state in 2017 as well, but was withdrawn in the face of a challenge to it in the Karnataka High Court.
Kantara: Chapter 1, a prequel to the 2022 hit Kantara, is set for a worldwide theatrical release in multiple languages, including Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, English, and Bengali. Shetty is the director and lead actor of the movie.
—-