Published 19:51 IST, January 9th 2020
Jignesh Mevani ropes Deepika Padukone into his agenda, mounts 'tax-free Chhapaak' pressure
Jignesh Mevani, MLA of Gujarat's Vadgam Assembly Constituency, took to Twitter to request legislators to make Deepika's 'Chhapaak' tax-free in the state
The Chhattisgarh government on Thursday declared Deepika Padukone-starrer film "Chhapaak" tax free in the state. The movie has also been made tax free in the Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh. Union territory Puducherry also declared it tax-free. Following the suit, MLA of Gujarat's Vadgam Assembly Constituency — Jignesh Mevani, took to his Twitter handle and backed Deepika Padukone's film, saying, 'Acid attack on a woman is one of the worst forms of atrocities. Making a film on that subject is itself a revolutionary act!'
He added, "Gujarat assembly is meeting tomorrow: I urge fellow legislators to pass a resolution to make Chhapaak tax-free in Gujarat like other states have done." [sic] On Wednesday, Mevani had also tweeted in support of Deepika Padukone's sudden and high-profile visit to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He wrote that her support counts and hopes the rest of Bollywood learns from her.
Before Mevani, Madhya Pradesh CM, Kamal Nath cited the strong message of the grit of an acid attack survivor portrayed in the movie as the reason for the decision. Taking to Twitter on Thursday, CM Kamal Nath in Hindi wrote, “I announce that Deepika Padukone-starrer Chhapaak, based on an acid attack survivor, which is releasing across the country’s theatres on January 10, as tax-free.”
Usually, films gain the 'tax-free' status after they have already hit the theatres. Arjun Kapoor's Panipat, for example, was declared 'tax-free' after one-month of its release. The same events transpired when it came to Hrithik Roshan's Super 30. Deepika Padukone's visit to JNU was controversial right from the start, as it emerged that the visit was quickly used for Chhapaak's promotions, while Opposition leaders co-opted her, and have made her a symbol of their own agenda.
Updated 19:51 IST, January 9th 2020