LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh government declared Akshay Kumar-starrer ‘Samrat Prithviraj' tax-free in the state after a special screening of the film on Thursday.
“We announce that the movie 'Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan' will be made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh so that a common man can also watch this movie,” CM Yogi Adityanath said.
The CM along with his cabinet colleagues attended the special screening of the biopic, based on the life and times of Rajput ruler Prithviraj Chauhan who fought against invader Mohammad Ghori.
The film was screened in Lok Bhawan in the presence of Akshay Kumar, who played the role of Samrat Prithviraj and his co-actor Manushi Chillar who played Sanyukta in the film. The writer–director of the project, Dr Chandra Prakash Dwivedi was also present on the occasion.
Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, Transport Minister Daya Shankar Singh, JPS Rathore, AK Sharma, Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi and others were also present at the screening.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe on the government over the special screening of the period film. While the Yogi cabinet was watching the movie, the SP chief took to twitter to suggest the state government to evaluate the present state of affairs in UP. “Purane Itihas ke atte se, vartman ki roti nahi ban sakti (you cannot exploit the history to make gains in the present),” he tweeted.
However, after watching the film, CM Yogi said that the film inspired to take a lesson from the mistakes of history. “We are celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of 75 years of our Independence. This is also the time for introspection. The attempt made through this film to connect the present from the past is worth appreciation,” said CM Yogi while praising the acting skills of the star cast.