FDFS: Movie lovers wonder what's happening

Whenever top stars' films are released, an immense craze is witnessed especially down south where hero-worship is at its peak. Fans used to celebrate the event as a festival and there used to be huge competition to get tickets for benefit shows, the first day first shows premiers, etc, and boast that they have watched the film on the first day when no one else could get the tickets. The craze for top star films used to be so much that the common public and movie lovers had to wait for a week or so to get tickets at the theatres.

But now fans and movie lovers are left wondering what's happening and whether the FDFS craze is fizzling out. While films like RRR and KGF2 witnessed tremendous response, what shocked all was theatres not getting filled even for the first show for Mega Star Chiranjeevi's Acharya and today for Super Star Mahesh Babu's Sarkaru Vaari Paata.

Some say coronavirus brought a sea change in the mindset of movie lovers and even fans are following the same. Others say the steep increase in ticket rates from Rs150 to more than Rs 300 is making people think twice before they head to theatres. Most of them are waiting for the film's OTT release dates as it will save them time and money and they can watch leisurely in the comfort of their houses. Right thinking people say had the ticket rates been priced in an affordable manner, people would have thronged the theatres but with the makers, distributors, and exhibitors keen to make up for their losses due to covid pandemic from the people, people too decided to stay away from experiencing the burden and feel the heat.

The makers, producers, and all the stakeholders should introspect where they are going wrong as even movie lovers love to witness all the first-day first show Hungama before it disappears completely and becomes a day of the past.