Producer of Amitabh Bachchan’s Jhund questions only The Kashmir Files being declared tax-free: ‘Our film important too’

Savita Raj Hiremath, one of the producers of Amitabh Bachchan’s recent release Jhund, has said that she is “perplexed” why her film was not made tax-free. She said the film not only witnessed a positive audience reaction but also had a subject that is “crucial to our country’s growth”. Savita’s comments come days after Vivek Agnihotri’s recent film The Kashmir Files was made tax-free in multiple states across the country. (Also read: The Kashmir Files BO: Film crosses ₹116.45 cr with highest single-day haul yet)

On Friday, Savita took to Facebook and wrote that while The Kashmir Files is an important film, Jhund was no less. “I recently watched Kashmir Files and as the story of Kashmiri Pandits exodus it’s heartbreaking and is a story that needed to be told. It is a good voice for Kashmiri Pandits! But as the producer of Jhund, I am perplexed. After all, 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,” she said.

Jhund, which released theatrically on March 4 to glowing reviews, featured Amitabh as Vijay Barse, a Nagpur-based retired sports teacher who pioneered a slum soccer movement. The movie marked the Hindi debut of filmmaker Nagraj Manjule, known for Marathi films Fandry and Sairat.

A week after Jhund, The Kashmir Files, based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s, opened in cinemas. The film garnered support from the central government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and several leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who praised the movie. The Kashmir Files, featuring Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, and Pallavi Joshi, was also declared tax-free in states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Karnataka, Tripura, and Goa.

Savita added in her note that she was curious to know what is the criteria for the government to select a film and exempt it from entertainment tax. “So I want 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,” she added.

Jhund is also produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Raaj Hiremath, Gargee Kulkarni, Meenu Aroraa, and Manjule. While The Kashmir Files has clocked in approximately ₹116 crore at the box office in eight days, Jhund has netted just over ₹15 crore in the fifteen days since its release.

(With PTI inputs)