The Kashmir Files, based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s, has emerged as the first choice of moviegoers despite several big-budget films of mainstream superstars running in cinemas. Its debut weekend collection stands at Rs 27.15 crore, having shown over 300 per cent increase on the third day of its release.
The Kashmir Files has been evoking jolting reactions from the audiences, especially Kashmiri Hindus who have gone through immense suffering when they were forced to leave the Valley. The film was originally released on about 630 screens but the positive word-of-mouth helped it gain more shows across the country.
Moreover, several states have declared The Kashmir Files tax-free to encourage more and more people to enjoy it in theatres. Starring Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, and Pallavi Joshi in major roles, the film has been written by Agnihotri and Saurabh M Pandey. Here’s a list of all the states where The Kashmir Files is now tax-free:
Haryana
Haryana government on March 11 declared that the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ will be tax-free in the state. After the release of the film last Friday, the government of Haryana directed cinemas and multiplexes not to charge the GST on the movie tickets from customers.
Gujarat
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Saturday exempted the tax on movie tickets for The Kashmir Files. A tweet by Gujarat CM’s office read, “Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel has decided to give tax exemption to the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ in the state.”
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh joined Haryana and Gujarat as the third state to declare the movie The Kashmir Files tax-free. Besides, the Madhya Pradesh government announced on Monday that the policemen in the state will be provided leave to watch The Kashmir Files.
Karnataka
Karnataka government declared the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ tax-free on Monday. “The Kashmir Files movie brings the truth about what happened in Kashmir during the 80s and 90s. I hope all Kashmiri Pandits will get back their land and property and settled down there. We declared the movie tax-free in the state,” said Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Goa
After watching The Kashmir Files, caretaker chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that the film will be made tax-free in Goa. Sawant along with his wife Sulakshana and BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade watched the movie.
Tripura
The Tripura government decided to make The Kashmir Files tax-free to encourage people to watch the movie. Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Monday appealed to the people to watch the movie. “The Kashmir Files movie made by Vivek Agnihotri depicts the heart-wrenching struggle and trauma faced by Kashmiri Hindus. To support his movie and encourage the people of the state to watch it, the Tripura government has decided to make it tax-free in the state,” Deb tweeted.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh joined the list of states that have granted tax-free status to The Kashmir Files. The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday exempted the movie from paying entertainment taxes.
Apart from this, several legislators made a push for the movie to be made tax-free during the Budget Session on Monday. BJP MLA Nitesh Rane also wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray requesting that The Kashmir Files be exempted from entertainment tax in the state.
