Neerja
Sonam Kapoor’s film ‘Neerja’ was made tax-free in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The film features Sonam Kapoor as the title character, with Shabana Azmi, Yogendra Tiku and Shekhar Ravjiani in supporting roles. The plot centers on the Libyan-backed Abu Nidal Organization's hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan, on 5 September 1986. The film is shown from the point of view of the flight's head purser, Neerja Bhanot, who thwarted the hijack attempt by alerting the pilots, thus grounding the plane; Bhanot died trying to help save 359 of the 379 passengers and crew on board. Development began in September 2014, when Kasbekar signed Madhvani and Kapoor for a film to be made by Bling Unplugged and Fox Star Studios. Saiwyn Quadras and Sanyuktha Chawla worked on the script, with principal photography taking place in Mumbai. The film features music by Vishal Khurana, with lyrics written by Prasoon Joshi. Neerja was released on 19 February 2016 to positive critical reception, with praise directed to Kapoor's performance, and became one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films featuring a female protagonist. The film received a number of accolades from Bollywood award organizations, with particular praise for Kapoor's performance and direction. It won two awards at the 64th National Film Awards including Best Feature Film in Hindi and Special Mention for Kapoor. At the 62nd Filmfare Awards, Neerja won six awards, including Best Film (Critics), Best Actress (Critics) (Sonam Kapoor), and Best Supporting Actress (Shabana Azmi).
11 Bollywood films that were made tax-free in India
Last updated on - Feb 2, 2018, 16:04 ISTShare fbsharetwsharepinshare
01/1211 Bollywood films that were made tax-free in India
Bollywood movies have often been given a tax-free release as well. While the idea is to pass on the benefit of cheaper ticket prices to the audience, there seems to be a discrepancy in ticket prices in the city. Some great and unique films are made tax-free so that it can reach a larger audience. Entertainment Tax is a tax imposed by the government on feature films getting a wide release in India and are reduced from gross collections, major commercial shows, and big private festivals. The amount after deducting entertainment tax is known as a nett. Some brilliant movies are made tax-free as it gives a social message to the society. Recently ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’ was made tax-free as it had a great social message. And now another film of Akshay Kumar titled ‘PadMan’ might be made tax-free. It helps to reach a wider audience. So here are 10 films that had a tax-free release.
02/12Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar starrer film had a great strong message. The film also starred Anupam Kher, Sudhir Pandey and Divyendu Sharma in supporting roles. The film is a satirical comedy in support of government campaigns to improve the sanitation conditions, with an emphasis on the eradication of open defecation, especially in rural areas. The film got 3 nominations at the 63rd Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Narayan Singh and Best Actor for Akshay Kumar. The plot of the film was In an Indian village a group of women go to a field, away from their village in the early hours of the day to defecate in the open, behind the cover of bushes. Keshav (Akshay Kumar) has to marry a black buffalo because his father (Panditji) is a very religious and superstitious priest, and he believes that his son's marriage to a black buffalo will help improve Keshav's fortune. Keshav meets Jaya (Bhumi Pednekar), falls in love with her and eventually convinces her to marry him. But Keshav's father is of the view that Keshav's horoscope is such that he can and should only marry a girl who has got two thumbs on one of her hands. Since Jaya does not fulfill this requirement, Keshav gets an artificial thumb made and gives it to Jaya who wears it as a ring on her thumb. Keshav's unsuspecting father agrees to their marriage. On the day of the hearing of the divorce case of Keshav and Jaya, the judge gets an official notice from the Chief Minister's office urging the judge to not grant their divorce as the construction of toilets in their village shall be started from the very next day. The couple comes out together happily. Keshav's father apologises to Jaya for his foolish stubbornness. In the end credits, villagers are shown lining up to use mobile toilets outside their village while construction of toilets throughout the village goes on in full swing.
03/12Manjhi: The Mountain Man
It was a biographical film which was made tax-free in Bihar and Uttarakhand. The film was based on the life of Dashrath Manjhi. Manjhi, widely known as the "Mountain Man", was a poor labourer in Gehlaur village, near Gaya in Bihar, India, who carved a path 9.1 metres (30 ft) wide and 110 metres (360 ft) long through a hill 7.6 metres (25 ft) using only a hammer and chisel. Nawazuddin Siddiqui enacted the role of Dashrath Manjhi, while Radhika Apte played Manjhi's wife. The film was released worldwide on 21 August 2015. Prior to its release preview copy of movie leaked on the web on 10 August 2015. The Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) cyber police station had registered a case against a few unknown persons for leaking the movie. In the 1960s Dashrath Manjhi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) lived in a small village Gehlaur near Gaya, Bihar, India with his family including his wife Phaguniya Devi (Radhika Apte) and his son. There was a rocky mountain near his village that people either had to climb across or travel round to gain access to medical care at the nearest town Wazirganj. One day Manjhi's wife (when pregnant) fell while trying to cross the mountain and eventually died giving birth to a girl, after which Manjhi decided to carve a road through it. When he started hammering the hill people called him a lunatic but that only steeled his resolve further. After 22 years of back-breaking labour, Manjhi carved a path 360 feet long, 25 feet deep in places and 30 feet wide. Manjhi died in 2007. The film's postscript states that 52 years after he started breaking the mountain, 30 years after he finished and 4 years after his death the government finally made a metalled road to Gehlaur in 2011.
04/12Hindi Medium
The film was declared tax-free in the states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It was a comedy-drama film. The film stars Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar in the lead roles, with Deepak Dobriyal in a supporting role. The film received six major nominations at the 63rd Filmfare Awards, including Best Director for Choudhary, Best Actor (Critics) for Khan, Best Actress for Qamar, and Best Supporting Actor for Dobriyal. It won two Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor for Irrfan Khan. Raj Batra (Irrfan Khan) is a rich businessman from Delhi staying with his wife Mita (Saba Qamar). They studied in a Hindi Medium school but want their 5-year-old daughter, Pia (Dishita Sehgal), to be admitted to one of the top schools in Delhi. The top school, 'Delhi Grammar School', has a condition that they will admit students who reside within a 3km radius, so the family moves to Vasant Vihar. Shyam after watching his son becoming fluent in English meets the principal and through him gets the address of the donor. Although he gets angry after knowing the reality, he cools down after watching Pia in the school. Raj's guilt takes over and in spite of Mita's resistance, he meets the school principal (Amrita Singh) to cancel his daughter's admission. The principal concerned with the reputation of the school at stake does not agree to his proposal. Eventually, Raj gives a moving speech in the auditorium and walks away from the school. Later Raj and Mita send Piya to the government-run Hindi Medium school where Mohan studies.
05/12Airlift
Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Airlift’ was made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It made Rs128.1 crore in overall collections. The film follows Ranjit Katyal (Akshay Kumar), a Kuwait-based businessman, as he carries out the evacuation of Indians based in Kuwait during the Invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. In 1990 Kuwait, Indian businessman Ranjit Katyal (Akshay Kumar) is a successful Kuwait-based businessman who is very well-connected with Kuwait and Iraq and makes a happy home with his wife Amrita (Nimrat Kaur) and their little daughter Simu. He calls himself a Kuwaiti and is often derisive towards Indians. Meanwhile, Kohli is somewhat of a sluggard, but when his father (Arun Bali) recounts their tale of woe during the partition of India, Kohli is inspired to actively help Ranjit. He approaches the national airline, Air India, to orchestrate an evacuation of the 170,000 Indians in Kuwait and gets the Indian embassy at Amman, Jordan to issue permits. As the Indians leave Kuwait, Ranjit comes across yet another checkpoint where he encounters hostile Iraqi soldiers who, in absence of any passports or IDs, threaten to kill Amrita. The hostilities escalate into a skirmish between Ranjit and the soldiers, following which the people in Ranjit's convoy come forward and outnumber the Iraqi soldiers. Ranjit lets them live and the convoy passes. They arrive in Jordan and Air India and Indian Airlines supply the planes and pilots to fly the Indians back. The Indians salute Ranjit as they board the planes that will take them home.
06/12Bajirao Mastani
One more beautiful film of Sanjay Leela Bhansali starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, and Priyanka Chopra. It was an epic historical romance film. The supporting cast includes Tanvi Azmi, Vaibhav Tatwawaadi, and Milind Soman. Based on the Marathi novel Raau by Nagnath S. Inamdar, ‘Bajirao Mastani’ narrates the story of the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I (1700-1740 AD) and his second wife Mastani. In Uttar Pradesh, the film was made tax-free. In the early 18th century, the court of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shahu needs a new Peshwa, the equivalent of a modern-day prime minister. In spite of Shripad Rao's self-nomination as the Peshwa, Ambaji Pant nominates a young Bajirao. To test his spiritual wisdom and knowledge of weaponry, Shripad challenges Bajirao to split a peacock feather with an arrow. Bajirao succeeds and is given the title of Peshwa. Ten years later, his wife Kashibai is visited by her widowed friend Bhanu, whose husband was accused of spying and was ordered to be executed by Bajirao. She predicts that just as she longs for her husband, Kashibai will yearn for Bajirao. While traveling to Sironja, an emissary from Bundelkhand enters Bajirao's tent and demands his help to fight invaders. She reveals herself to be Mastani, the daughter of the Hindu Rajput king Chhatrasal and his Persian Muslim consort Ruhani Bai. Impressed by her skills as a warrior, Bajirao assists her with his army and defeats the invaders. At his deathbed, Kashibai sends a letter pleading with Radhabai to release Mastani so Bajirao can recover, but Nana Saheb burns the letter and refuses to release Mastani. Bajirao, delirious due to his sickness, dies from the trauma of his hallucinations; at the same time, Mastani dies in captivity. The ill-fated lovers are shown to be united in death.
07/12Dangal
One more blockbuster sports drama film of Aamir Khan, it was appreciated a lot by everyone. The film was made tax-free in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The film is loosely based on the Phogat family, telling the story of Mahavir Singh Phogat, an amateur wrestler, who trains his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari to become India's first world-class female wrestlers. Aamir Khan stars as Mahavir Singh Phogat, while Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra portray the adult versions of the two Phogat sisters, Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar their younger versions, Sakshi Tanwar their mother, and Aparshakti Khurana their cousin. The development of the film began in early 2013 when Tiwari began writing the screenplay, before showing it to Khan, who became the lead actor and producer. Set primarily in the Indian State of Haryana, principal photography commenced in September 2015 in neighbouring Punjab. Satyajit Pande served as the cinematographer and Ballu Saluja as the editor. Pritam scored the film's background music and for its soundtrack, lyrics for which were written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Kripa Shankar Bishnoi, a coach with the Indian women's wrestling team, trained Aamir Khan and the cast for the wrestling sequences.
08/12Nil Battey Sannata
The film was granted tax exemption by the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh governments. Swara Bhaskar starred as Chanda Sahay, a high-school drop-out household maid and single mother of a sullen young girl named Apeksha, played by Ria Shukla. The film's theme is a person's right to dream and change their lives, irrespective of social status. The same year, the film was remade in Tamil as ‘Amma Kanakku’, with Iyer returning to direct. The following year, it was remade in Malayalam as ‘Udaharanam Sujatha’. Apeksha "Apu" Shivlal Sahay (Shukla) is an unmotivated student who has managed to reach her SSC year in school despite her lack of interest in studying further. She struggles in mathematics alongside her friends, Sweety (Neha Prajapati) and Pintu (Prashant Tiwari). Her single mother Chanda (Bhaskar), a high-school drop-out, works four different menial jobs, which include working as a maid for Dr. Diwan (Pathak). Troubled by her daughter's indifferent attitude, Chanda narrates her dilemma to Dr. Diwan, who suggests that she hire a math tutor for Apu. Chanda is told that Apu must pass her pre-board math exams to receive a considerable discount for the tuition. Hearing this, Apu replies that she is destined to work as a maid, as Chanda cannot provide financially for any higher education. With a scenic view of the Taj Mahal, Chanda motivates Apu to always follow her dreams, as they are dependent on efforts and not circumstances. A few years later, Apu attends her Union Public Service Commission Civil Service Examination interview, having passed her examinations successfully. After being asked what inspired her to apply for the IAS, she answers that she is inspired by her mother, who now tutors struggling math students for free.
09/12Sachin: A Billion Dreams
It was a docudrama-biographical film. The film is based on the life of Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. It captures Tendulkar's cricket and personal life in substantial detail, as well as reveals few aspects of his life which have never been heard of or seen before. The film is simultaneously shot in Hindi, Marathi, and English. Dubbed versions of the film will be released in Tamil and Telugu. The Film has been declared tax free in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Odisha. Since the filmmakers wanted the film to appeal to the cricketer's diverse fans nationwide, it was also released in five languages – English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu.
10/12Mary Kom
One of Priyanka Chopra’s brilliant film, she had to take training as well for this film, as she had to look like Mary Kom boxer. Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Maharashtra had a tax-free release for the film. It was a biographical sports film directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film stars Priyanka Chopra in the lead role of the eponymous boxer, with Darshan Kumar and Sunil Thapa in supporting roles of her husband and mentor, respectively. Mary Kom depicts Kom's journey of becoming a boxer to her victory at the 2008 World Boxing Championships in Ningbo. The film marks the Hindi playback singing debut of Priyanka Chopra, who provided her vocals for a song named "Chaoro" (a lullaby). Mary Kom was developed by writer Saiwyn Quadras, who suggested the storyline to Kumar when Kom was not a familiar name in India despite her numerous achievements. Kumar met Kom to ask her permission for the film, before her bronze medal victory at the 2012 Summer Olympics, which brought her recognition. Priyanka Chopra underwent extensive physical training for three months to attain a muscular physique and learned Kom's distinct boxing style. Principal photography started in June 2013 at Filmistan Studio, where the boxing sequences were filmed. After plans to shoot in Kom's hometown, Manipur, were dropped due to safety concerns, Mary Kom was shot in Dharamshala and Manali, where a major portion of Manipur was recreated.
