Did Mani Ratnam request the multiplex owners in Mumbai to sell Ponniyin Selvan-1 tickets for Rs 100?

Last week, there were theatres all around India, offering tickets for as little as Rs 75. A few cinema halls were providing combo deals that included discounted pricing on both food and drink. Thanks to the National Cinema Day! As a result, during the festive Navarati week, producers reduced their prices for an additional week. The rumour is that Ponniyin Selvan-1 will be shown in theatres for Rs 100 following Brahmastra. We still await official confirmation, though.

Hearsay is that Mani Ratnam visited Mumbai to ask multiplex chain owners to lower ticket costs. The director wants his audience to pay just Rs 100 for Ponniyin Selvan-1, according to a TOI report. However, it's uncertain if the price of the tickets would decrease. The multiplex chains reportedly had accepted his recommendation.

Not for the first time, attention is being drawn to expensive ticket prices. While South Indian films like KGF 2 and RRR generated record-breaking business at the box office this year, many Bollywood films didn't do well, including Raksha Bandhan and Laal Singh Chaddha.

Taran Adarsh, a film industry analyst, has emphasised the significance of affordable cinema tickets. Close to 12 lakh tickets were sold in bookings for R Balki's Chup, the Avatar re-release, and Brahmastra. Taran continued by saying that this incredible response should serve as a wake-up call for the producers, and theatre owners, on the importance of reasonable ticket prices.

Anurag Kashyap had spoken about the situation, before the release of his movie, Dobaaraa to News 18. “I agree that a few recent good movies haven't done well, but one should also keep in mind that the nation is currently experiencing an economic downturn. Today, biscuits and paneer are being taxed. Do you think people will buy expensive tickets for a film until they are sure that the film will entertain them?”

Only after the first weekend does a big-budget movie put itself to the test. Openings can be assured by the presence of stars, but repeat viewers and family crowds don't start to show up until the following week. Will PS-1 be the next Baahubali, if it performs well? Time will only tell!

PS-1 will be released on September 30 in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam.