MUMBAI: BJP MLA Nitesh Rane has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray requesting that the recently-released film 'The Kashmir Files' be exempted from entertainment tax in the state.
Rane stated in his letter sent on Saturday that the tax break will enable people to see for the first time the "correct and true depiction of atrocities inflicted by Muslim terrorists on the Hindu community" in Jammu and Kashmir.
"'The Kashmir Files' movie, which depicts Hindus who fell prey to Muslim terrorism, should be declared tax-free in the state," Rane stated in the letter written in Marathi.
Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Zee Studios, the film depicts the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir following systematic killings of people from the community by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
It stars Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi among others.
On Sunday, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh governments decided to make 'The Kashmir Files' movie tax-free.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday also the same.
"Kudos to @vivekagnihotri for #TheKashmirFiles, a blood-curdling, poignant & honest narrative of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their home land. To lend our support to the movie & encourage our people to watch it, we will make the movie tax-free in Karnataka," Bommai tweeted.
Meanwhile, a ruckus erupted outside the Inox multiplex here in sector 4 of the millennium city, screening the film, on Sunday over the cancellation of tickets of some visitors.
Incensed over the denial of entry to the movie hall despite having tickets booked in advance with them, some of the audiences entered into a scuffle with the cinema hall's security personnel, necessitating intervention by police.
The trouble began when some visitors were denied entry to the hall despite having tickets while the movie hall managers said they had to cancel the tickets to reissue them without tax after the Haryana government made the movie tax-free, said police.
The situation was brought under control after the movie-goers and cinema hall owner reached a compromise over cancelled tickets, it added.
"To implement the revised tax-free pricing for the movie as per the Haryana government's order and to ensure that the benefit of the same is passed on to the maximum number of guests with immediate effect, the tickets which were already issued with the tax amount, had to be reissued," Inox Cinema said in an official statement.
"This process required reprogramming of the existing tickets and the same was communicated to guests so that they can rebook the ticket and enjoy the movie at a lower tax-free price," the statement explained.
"We are extremely heartened by the response we have received for the movie across the country and are looking forward to welcoming guests to enjoy it in coming days," it added.