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Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files is creating a huge buzz among the film circles.
Veteran Bollywood Analyst cum Business Transformation expert Hirav Shah says, “The film is having a fantastic theatrical run and growing from strength to strength with each passing day. Respective governments of Haryana, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh have already declared The Kashmir Files movie tax-free. The film is sure to beat the collections of PK, Dangal, and Sultan.”
Now, we bring you the list of five other important films that gained box-office momentum after being declared tax-free by respective governments.
Toilet Ek Prem Katha (2017):
Toilet Ek Prem Katha is the first big film that was released post-GST era and got tax exemption in major states like Uttar Pradesh. Toilet: Ek Prem Katha addressed the social issue of privacy for women to attend to the call of nature. Akshay Kumar had championed the cause for as long as the film was being promoted. After the film’s release, director Shree Narayan Singh and the team moved on. Another Akshay Aatmvishwas saga that got an after-tax lift exemption was Airlift which is by far the best film the actor has done in his career from a couple of states.
Chhapaak (2019):
Chhapaak is based on the life story of acid victim Laxmi Aggarwal. The film has Deepika Padukone seen in the lead role in the movie. But after the actual victim disowned herself from the project, Deepika’s name had to be changed to Malti. The tax exemption seems to have been granted only on compassionate grounds in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan states.
Tanhaji (2020):
The story of the Maratha warrior generated a deep sense of nationalism, especially in Maharashtra. Quick to cash in on those sentiments, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana governments declared the film tax-free. However, the Covid crisis crashed the hopes of the film later.
Bajirao Mastani (2015):
The Uttar Pradesh government granted tax exemption to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus for s month after its release. In the first four weeks, the film had raked in solid revenues. Tax exemption had benefitted the movie a lot.
Dangal/Neerja (2016):
Dangal and Neerja were the two major films released during the same year, which were given a tax exemption in several states, and very deservingly so. Dangal and Neerja both espoused female empowerment in their own different ways. But many raised questions that what is the purpose of giving high-budget films tax exemption when they can become capable of paying their taxes?
Hirav Shah says, “The Kashmir Files is a ‘must-watch film’ as it shows the unexplored dark history of India. But there have been other films as well in the recent past which deserved to be exempted from tax, like Amitabh Bachchan’s recently released film Jhund. Jhund is also an important film and has a story and a big message that has received tremendous acclaim and word of mouth from the audience. So it is difficult to find out what’s the criterion on which the government selects a film to support it so strongly by making it tax-free, endorsing it through social media, and asking Offices to showcase the film or give a half-day holiday to its employees. After all, Jhund also has a subject that is so crucial to our country’s growth. Jhund is not just talking about the disparity between caste and economic disparity but also shows a way to make the lower strata of society find their success story.”
