Rajnikanth's Sivaji sets record, Rs 1,500 for ticket

The latest Rajnikanth starrer Sivaji, is setting records even two days before release, with tickets being sold for Rs 1,500 each in the black market.
The movie is being released in 40 theatres across the city including three multiplexes. There will be four screenings daily.

Theatre managements said that tickets for the first two weeks have already been sold out. In Chennai tickets have been sold in one month advance. With hysteric fans jostling to have a sight of the ‘style king,' ticket prices in the black market are likely to go up even further.

If one goes by black market rates, the film has already overshadowed those of top Tollywood stars. For instance,

The latest Rajnikanth starrer, Sivaji, is setting records even two days before release, with tick- ets being sold for Rs 1,500 each in the black market. The movie is being released in 40 theatres across the city including three multiplexes. There will be four screenings daily. Theatre managements said that tickets for the first two weeks have already been sold out. With hysteric fans jostling to have a sight of the ‘style king,' ticket prices in the black market are likely to go up even further. If one goes by black market rates, the film has already overshadowed those of top Tollywood stars. For instance, tickets of Chiranjeevi's latest release ‘Stalin' and last year's ‘Tagore' were reportedly sold at Rs. 1,200 each. Other stars have never surpassed Rs 600.
"This is the first time that a Rajni film is getting such a response form Telugu audience," said H. Harish, who is in charge of Sangeet Theatre.

Rajni fans, especially autorickshaw drivers, have been flocking theatres in vain for the past few days. Cashing in on their desperation are black marketers, who are in for a harvest.

Fans are willing to do anything to watch the first show on the first day. "I will see the movie on the first day even if it costs me my life," said P. Raju an auto-rickshaw driver from Chikkadpally.

Raju is ready to pay Rs 500 for a ticket. He has been saving the money for the past six months. He is not alone in this. There are more than 100 Rajni fan clubs in the city and thousands of fans.

They themselves admit that no other film of the megastar has evoked such response in the city.

Mr Harish, meanwhile, said the theatre management could only monitor black marketers within the premises. "What happens outside the theatre should be taken care of the police," he said.

This was echoed by other managements too. They also denied the allegations made by frustrated fans that they were hand in glove with black marketers.

"We are not encouraging it," said the manager of Satyam Theatre. "We are not giving any person more than one or two tickets."

Police also supported the allegations of fans that some theatre managements had links with black marketeers. "We will post more policemen in mufti at the theatres to keep a tab on this," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) N. Madhusudan Reddy, but even those black marketers who are caught are let off after a fine of Rs 200, which is just a small percentage of the money they make on a single ticket.
Source: DC