(Image source from: What Bollywood wants from Modi Sarkar})
Come June 7 and prominent members of the film and television fraternity will meet the newly appointed I&B minister, Prakash Javadekar, and list out their expectations from the central government.
With the new government taking office, the film and television industry is hoping that their pleas will be heard.
BJP leader Shaina NC, who is coordinating the meeting, says, “As a party we realize the need for a dialogue with the industry and keeping this in mind, the BJP wants to initiate an interaction with the art and cultural fraternity.”
Creative freedom
Mukesh Bhatt, the President of the Film and Television Producers’ Guild, says he has made several presentations to the earlier government but in vain. He hopes that the new government would partner with them. He wants to take up the issues of creative problem and censorship hands on as he fears that the Bajrang Dal and the RSS might throttle their creative freedom. Bhatt also wants the ministry to help them erect more cinema halls across the country as well as work in tandem for the growth and progress of the industry.
Tax breaks
Actress and producer Dia Mirza has a long list of concerns that she wants the ministry to address. Besides giving freedom of expression of artistes, she demands that a film must be given a suitable certificate. She also wants the government to give the industry genuine tax breaks. “We are an industry that adds to our diversity; we contribute to the national ex-chequer and provide employment. Plus filmmaking and theatrical distribution are only becoming more expensive by the day. It’s time for the tax structure to be revised; obtaining permissions to shoot needs to be made simpler. The government should encourage our efforts as opposed to having us run from pillar to post just to meet some formalities,” she says. Tigmanshu Dhulia too wants the ministry to revise the entertainment tax.
Digitisation and piracy
Even television industry too has some concerns. Uday Singh, Managing Director, Motion Picture Dist. Association India, says that the existing complex tax system, not up to the mark infrastructure, technology and talent, and most importantly, piracy continue to plague the industry. With mobile penetration increasing and more users now having access to 3G/ 4G internet speeds, combating online piracy is the biggest need of the hour.
AW: Suchorita Choudhury
