Cinema is not just entertainment for the people; to the South Indians, especially Telugus, it is a festival, an obsession, and an emotional euphoria. Yet, today, this silver screen spectacle has been tragically transformed into a luxury commodity, accessible predominantly to the affluent class. With the tacit support of successive governments, the unbridled exploitation carried out by certain powerful sections of the film industry is emptying the pockets of the common man, the regular movie-goer.

Every time a ‘big film’ is released, ticket prices are raised indiscriminately under the guise of special government orders (GOs) and regulatory exceptions, which is a deplorable and relentless trend. For an average middle-class family watching a film is like shelling down more than their monthly budget on essential commodities. This is effectively a ‘financial cartel’ game being played by these film factions for their economic gain, systematically pushing entertainment out of reach for the masses.

This exploitation does not stop at the ticket counter. The prices of food and beverages sold inside the theatre point to an anarchic and monopolistic business practice.

Popcorn, which costs barely ₹50 outside, is sold for ₹200 to ₹300 inside the cinema hall. The exorbitant pricing of soft drinks and samosas imposes a greater burden than the cost of the film ticket. The sole objective behind these inflated prices is to squeeze the maximum possible profit from the audience’s pocket, shamelessly exploiting their captive need for enjoyment.

This practice, which alienates the common man from cinema, serves as a stark example of widening economic inequality in society. Unable to afford the exorbitant prices, time and again, the people naturally look for alternative sources of entertainment.

This has led to the emergence of piracy platforms like iBomma. While the act of individuals like Immadi Ravi in choosing an illegal path is regrettable, the underlying reason points to a fundamental flaw in the cinema system itself. His attempt to make “cinema accessible” to the common man, who couldn’t afford the high-ticket prices, is a visceral reflection of the deep-seated anger prevalent among the public against the exploitative system.

The frenzy shown by the film industry and the way the iBomma founder was arrested, treating him almost like a ‘terrorist,’ is bizarre, to say the least. The primary cause for the surge in prices is squarely in the unreasonable remunerations taken by the leading heroes and directors, who claim a lion’s share of the massive budgets.

When a star takes a fee between ₹70 crore and ₹100 crore per film, they should ideally share the burden by reducing their remuneration, rather than pushing the entire cost onto the audience through relentless ticket hikes.

These ‘heroes’ refusal to lower their massive paychecks and criticism of piracy smack of a hypocritical stance, akin to “the thief calling out the thief.”

Here lies another systemic failure: The system is proving ineffective in apprehending and prosecuting notorious economic offenders like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, who looted thousands of crores from the country and fled abroad. For a system that cannot effectively prosecute major economic criminals, resorting to such an intense crackdown on an individual who merely tried to provide ‘illegal’ entertainment to the common man who cannot afford the ticket prices, is a testament to the double standards of the government and the cinema cartel.

While Immadi Ravi’s action was illegal, his move represents a severe form of protest by the common populace seeking equality in entertainment access.

To eradicate piracy completely, legal action alone is not sufficient; systemic reforms are the need of the hour. Governments must impose strict and rational controls on ticket price hikes; there must be genuine rationality in the remunerations taken by heroes and top directors; and control must be enforced over food prices in theatres.

Only by reducing the economic burden of entertainment on the common man and making legitimate forms of entertainment affordable will the appeal of illegal platforms like iBomma diminish.

Otherwise, this entrenched system of inequality will continue to create new ‘piracy heroes,’ and the curb on exploitation will remain unattainable.