Telangana theatre parking fee ban stayed; High Court grants relief to owners - reports

The Telangana High Court has stayed an earlier order that barred single-screen and standalone theaters from collecting parking fees. The decision comes as a major relief for theater owners across the state. The earlier restriction had raised concerns among exhibitors, who argued that it impacted their operational revenues. With the latest development, most theaters can now resume collecting parking charges.Reports from the 123 Telugu website say that senior advocates S. Niranjan Reddy and Sirgapoor Sahil Reddy represented theater owners in the case. They argued that the initial order was passed without giving affected parties a chance to present their side and also emphasized that imposing a blanket ban across all theaters was unfair. According to them, such decisions should consider the financial realities faced by exhibitors.After hearing the arguments, the Telangana High Court observed that the original petition was related to parking charges at a specific property.Reportedly, the court clarified that any restriction should apply only to that particular theater. As a result, the suspension of the government order has been limited in scope.Following the court’s direction, all single-screen theaters in Telangana can now collect parking fees. However, the Asian Konark Theatre remains an exception.The restriction on collecting parking charges will continue at this theater for now.Meanwhile, 'Ustaad Bhagat Singh,' starring Pawan Kalyan, is currently the major Telugu release in theaters. The film has generated significant buzz online, with early reactions pouring in on social media.A section of viewers expressed disappointment with the film’s execution. One review read, "#UstaadBhagatSingh: A Completely Outdated Commercial Entertainer! A commercial film like this doesn’t necessarily need out-of-the-box writing, but it at least needs some freshness. This one feels outdated to the core from start to finish. A few elevation blocks work, but the film lacks flow, feeling like a stitched-together compilation of commercial scenes. Harish Shankar falters on both comedy and commercial writing. Thaman tries to elevate with his BGM but has little scope. PK tries in parts, but this one misses his trademark energy. Boring! Rating: 2/5.”Another viewer echoed similar sentiments, writing, “#Ustaadbhagatsingh My rating 2/5 Below average movie.”The movie starring Pawan Kalyan in the lead also has Sreeleela, R. Parthiban, and Raashii Khanna in key roles.