Rajinikanth’s Coolie tickets sold in black for a whopping ₹4500 in Chennai ahead of release

Fans are waiting with bated breath for Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie’s release on 14 August. A couple of days before the release, advance bookings have been opened in Tamil Nadu. An India Today report claims that tickets are being sold in black in Chennai for as high as ₹4500, costlier than what tickets are sold for in premium theatres in Bengaluru.

Coolie tickets sold in black for ₹4500

With fans in a rush to watch Coolie on the first day, first show, the report states that even theatre staff have resorted to selling tickets illegally in black for exorbitant prices. A staff member in a Pollachi theatre was reportedly caught on camera peddling Coolie tickets for ₹400. The report states that even fan clubs are exploiting the situation to sell tickets at unreasonable prices.

The report quoted sources stating that a popular theatre in Chennai is selling tickets to Coolie at ₹4500 in black. They even quoted a fan as saying, “I have tried my luck at all the popular theatres in Chennai. They are all priced at ₹600, ₹1,000, with the highest being ₹4,500. I am not able to book tickets through the ticketing apps for the first show, as they are either blocked or sold out. Fans like me have no other choice but to buy the tickets in black or wait till the first shows are over to watch the film by paying government-authorised rates.”

Coolie tickets in rest of South India

At the time of writing, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have yet to open ticketing for Coolie in Tamil and Telugu. It is expected that the governments in both states will permit early morning shows with hiked ticket prices. A fan even told the publication that, seeing how early morning shows aren’t allowed in Tamil Nadu, they plan to travel to Nagari, Andhra Pradesh, to catch an early show.

For the unversed, the TN government refused to permit early morning shows after the clash between Ajith Kumar’s Thunivu and Vijay’s Varisu in theatres. A fan had died during the celebrations.

Bengaluru, which usually has the highest ticket prices in South India, has tickets priced between ₹200 and ₹1500, with tickets priced at ₹2000 for a ‘couple seat’. In Chennai, the highest price for a ticket listed online is ₹400, with tickets in Kochi priced between ₹200 and ₹1400.