The team behind the Kannada film ‘Dare Devil Mustafa’ recently met with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, appealing for tax exemption for their movie. The film, directed by Shasank Sohgal and based on the script by renowned writer Puranchandra Tejaswi, aims to shed light on communal hatred in society while promoting communal harmony.
The movie, which was released on May 19, prompted the film team to explain to the Chief Minister why they believe it deserves tax exemption. A tweet from the Chief Minister’s office mentioned the meeting and the request for tax exemption. However, a decision regarding the tax exemption for the film is still pending.
Highlighting a previous instance, films such as ‘The Kashmir Files’ have enjoyed tax exemption in Karnataka. Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai even praised the controversial film on Twitter, commending its depiction of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. To support the film and encourage viewership, the Karnataka government made it tax-free in the state.
In a related context, the previous BJP government organized special screenings of the recently released Bollywood film ‘The Kerala Story’ for school children before the assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also acknowledged films like ‘The Kerala Story’ for exposing alleged plots against India. BJP national president JP Nadda attended as a chief guest to this screening.
Tejasvi Surya, a member of parliament for Bengaluru South, urged the city’s young women to see the movie. He tweeted, “’The Kerala Story’ is an important movie documenting & reflecting social issues of our times, in Kerala & other parts of the country. It has a salient message for our young women. We are inviting young girl students of Bengaluru to join National President of BJP Sri @JPNadda Ji for a special screening of the movie, today evening at 8:45 PM, Inox, Garuda Mall, MG Road. Only 100 seats are available. Please register immediately on the form below.”
PM Modi also mentioned the movie in his speech in Karnataka and said, “The movie ‘The Kerala story’ is trying to expose the consequences of terrorism in a society, especially in a state like Kerala which is a beautiful land of hardworking, talented and intellectual people. The Congress party is now trying to ban the film and support the terror elements. It only knows to ban things and completely ignore development. The party even has a problem with me chanting ‘Jai Bajarang Bali’“ The Kerala Story has hit the big screens on May 5.”
