The producer of Udayanidhi Stalin-starrer, Nannbenda, has moved the High Court challenging the denial of entertainment tax exemption for the film. The production company has alleged that the “bias and mala fide intentions” of some viewing committee members was borne out by the fact that none of the films produced by him had ever been granted the tax exemption.
The previous and the present movies satisfied all conditions and criteria for getting the concession.
Justice S.Vaidyanathan has ordered notice returnable by April 7.
The exemption from entertainment tax for the petitioner’s movie would be subject to the outcome of the petition, the Judge ordered.
In the petition, Red Giant Movies, represented by its manager S. Saravanamuthu submitted that the company applied for tax exemption for the movie on March 20. After a reminder, a committee saw the movie and recommended to the Commercial Taxes Department not to grant tax exemption.
Pursuant to this, the department passed the impugned order of March 27.
The department’s Joint Commissioner had opined that the movie contained several English words and violence and sexually explicit scenes not relevant to the storyline. Therefore, it was against Tamil culture.
P. Wilson, senior counsel for the petitioner, argued that the Central Board of Film Certification had granted ‘U’ certificate for the film, meaning that it was meant for unlimited public exhibition.
Therefore, there could not be any violence or sexually explicit material in the movie.
The producer submitted that four members of the viewing committee had rejected his application for entertainment tax exemption on flimsy and untenable grounds. That betrayed their “personal bias and mala fide intentions to deny all movies of the petitioner company the benefit of entertainment tax exemption.”
Says his earlier
films were
also denied entertainment tax
