HYDERABAD: State government gave entertainment tax (ET) exemption to TDP MLA and Tollywood actor Nandamuri Balakrishna’s 100th flick, Gautamiputra Satakarni, which was shot based on the life story of Satavahana emperor, who had ruled the present deccan region of the country in the 2nd century CE.
As a policy decision of encouraging historical movies, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao took this decision, when Balakrishna, son of TDP founder NT Rama Rao, had called on him at Pragathi Bhavan on Friday.
When Balakrishna, popularly known as Balayya Babu, had requested that his film Gautamiputra Satakarni be exempted from ET, as it happened to be a historical film, the chief minister on the spot instructed the officials concerned to issue necessary orders for the same.
Speaking on the occasion, Rao said that the state government had earlier decided to support and encourage films based on historical personalities. In this context, he recalled that Rudrama Devi, a historial film, was exempted from ET, Rao added.
Thanking the chief minister for his generous gesture, Balayya said the entire shooting of the film was completed in 78 days. He explained to the CM that the movie was shot at an ancient sight Kotilingala, situated on the banks of Godavari river in Karimnagar district in the state, which was, as per archaeological discoveries, an important town during the period of Satavahanas. The flick was also shot at several significant historical locations in the country.
The film actor-turned-politico also invited the chief minister for the special preview of the movie, which is scheduled to hit theatres on Jan 12 on Sankranti. Interestingly, Rao had earlier given the Muhurat clap to the movie in last April.
Earlier, Balakrishna visited the TDPLP office, wherein TDP MLAs including A Revanth Reddy had a chat with him. Later, he proceeded to the chief minister’s chamber on the Assembly premises. However, CM had left for Pragathi Bhavan. Then, minister Srinivas Yadav took the actor to CM’s camp office.
Besides Srinivas Yadav, producer of the film, Rajeev Reddy and Srinivas, the presenter of the film, were also present.