Actor-filmmaker Sanjay Suri says his upcoming film Jhalki is important because it aimes at creating awareness on child labour, and keeping this in mind the government should give the film a tax-free status on release nationwide.
‘I think the government should utilise the film for sensitisation and advocacy, and declare it tax-free. A film like ‘Jhalki’ can be instrumental to create awareness on the issue of child labour. The government should make the film tax-free on their own so that more people can watch it. That step should come from authorities, and the onus should not be on the filmmaker, especially indie filmmakers like us,’ Sanjay told IANS.
Because the film has the potential to sensitise kids as well as parents, the actor believes screenings should take places in schools, too.
Citing an example, the actor said: “Initially when the multiplexes were built, to give impetus to the development all films released in multiplexes were tax-free for five years. Al I say is why not, at the CBFC level, shouldn’t authorities consider this kinds of films (for a tax-free status) that can create awareness in the society?”
One of the reasons he mentions that such a step should be taken at the authority level, instead of coming as a request from the filmmaker, is because then it ‘becomes a long process, since it has to be approved by every state authority separately’, ading that he wished to ‘get a tax-free release nationwide’. (IANS)
