Nearly 360 cinema halls affiliated to the Kerala Film Exhibitors’ Federation (KFEF) will remain closed on Thursday as part of the token strike called by the federation.
The strike is in protest against the government decision to go ahead with the plan to levy a cess of Rs 3 on ticket charges. “The government has instructed us to collect an extra `3 per ticket as a contribution to the Welfare Fund to help the ailing artists from film as well as other art forms. But we believe that the ticket cess will further add to the burden of the viewers and the Exhibitors’ Federation had already informed the officials concerned about our decision not to impose extra charges on the viewers,” said KFEF sec M C Bobby.