Ratings Disabled by Court Order: No Reviews for ‘Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu’

In a rare and significant development for Telugu cinema, a court has directed ticketing and discovery platforms such as BookMyShow to disable ratings and reviews before the theatrical release of Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, the much-anticipated Chiranjeevi–Nayanthara starrer slated for a January 12 Sankranti release. The order comes amid growing concern within the industry over organised digital attacks, where films are allegedly targeted through bot-driven “review bombing”, fake accounts and coordinated negativity even before the first show begins. BookMyShow’s listing for the film now carries a clear notice stating: “Ratings & Reviews disabled as per court order,” underlining the seriousness of the intervention.

Reports suggest the decision is aimed at preventing pre-release perception manipulation, where online platforms are flooded with biased ratings to influence audience sentiment and weaken a film’s opening momentum. Festival windows like Sankranti, when multiple major titles compete for screens and attention, have increasingly become vulnerable to fan-war-driven campaigns. With opening-day collections often shaping a film’s entire theatrical run, the petitioners argued that the current rating ecosystem can be easily hijacked by motivated groups, hurting the film’s prospects through manufactured narratives rather than real audience feedback.

The legal development gained national traction after actor Vijay Deverakonda posted a strong reaction, saying he felt both “happy and sad” about the move. He welcomed the order as a safeguard that finally protects cinema’s hard work from organised attacks, while lamenting that it took a court directive for the issue to be acknowledged seriously. Vijay also recalled how his 2019 film Dear Comrade faced intense negativity and coordinated trolling during release, claiming that when such concerns were raised at the time, they were brushed off with the familiar argument that “no one can stop a good film.” His comments struck a chord, as many within the industry now recognise that films are not judged solely on content anymore, but also on the strength—or sabotage—of online narratives during release windows.

Adding weight to the conversation, Ram Charan publicly praised Vijay Deverakonda’s remarks, signalling that the issue is not limited to one film or one star but is increasingly viewed as a wider industry challenge. The endorsement also reflected the growing concern that festival seasons should remain celebrations of cinema rather than turning into digital battlegrounds through fan wars and coordinated review attacks.

While many filmmakers and fans have welcomed the move as a long-awaited countermeasure, the decision has also triggered debate around free speech and consumer rights. Some viewers questioned whether disabling reviews undermines audiences’ ability to express opinions. Supporters, however, argue the restriction is focused only on pre-release ratings, which often cannot be based on actual viewing and therefore cannot be considered genuine feedback. A widely suggested middle path emerging from the debate is a “verified rating system,” where platforms allow reviews only after ticket purchase or confirmed viewing, reducing bot interference while protecting authentic audience expression.

Adding another dimension to the controversy, the film has also been linked to legal discussions surrounding ticket pricing in Telangana. Recent coverage shows the Telangana High Court hearing petitions related to ticket price hike permissions for Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (along with another major release), with arguments that such approvals often occur during holiday seasons when legal access becomes more difficult for the public. In a related clarification, the High Court has also indicated that an earlier ticket price cap-related order does not apply to this Sankranti release, further intensifying scrutiny around festival-season film economics.

With the court-directed rating freeze, the discussion has now expanded beyond one film to the future of online reviewing culture in Indian cinema. If such restrictions become more common, it could push platforms towards delayed ratings until release, stronger bot-detection systems, stricter moderation, and verified-audience-only reviews. For now, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu heads into Sankranti with festive expectations and star power, but also with a rare legal shield one intended to ensure that the film’s first impression is shaped inside theatres, not engineered online.