A Hyderabad theater ticket priced at Rs 50 carried an Rs 800 stamp, sparking debates about benefit shows, premiere shows, ticket hikes and GST accounting.
Questions arise whether the government is monitoring movie revenues or turning a blind eye.
Benefit shows are often seen as ways for fans to overspend, while additional shows and ticket price increases are sometimes allowed as government endorsed perks.
The industry heavily profits from star salaries, production costs, and other expenses, often using ticket hikes to recover large sums.
Concerns include whether GST is calculated on the actual ticket price or the inflated one, the offline sale of premiere tickets at black-market rates and lack of proper government oversight.
Critics suggest either including these under the 40 percent GST slab or creating a separate special category for such tickets.
Who is being looted, and what is the government losing in this scenario? Cashing in on the craze is fine, but transparent accountability matters a lot. That’s the debate happening online.