Was Entertainment tax cut by Tamil Nadu Government done to help Thug Life at box office ? This question arises as the film protagonist Kamal Haasan is all set to be Rajya Sabha MP with the backing of ruling party DMK. Yet another impact is that the reduced ticket prices will make it all the more difficult for Thug Life to enter the Rs 100 crore club in a jiffy. Thug Life opening is expected to be a record breaker in Kollywood and by attributing the turnout to tax cut is probably a pre-emptive way to undermine the record.
Media
reports say that it was Kamal Haasan who spoke about ET reduction in FICCI
Chennai meet with Udhaynidhi Stalin as one of the participants, that fuelled
the cut. The Exhibitors Association had put forth a similar demand. However,
the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) thanked and expressed
their gratitude to MK Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. They also thanked
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and Minister for Tamil Development and
Information Thiru MP Saminathan. Kamal name goes missing.
Popular
notion is that reduced ticket rates get more footfalls and it can be the case
in States where theatres are free to fix ticket prices for first one week of
release. It has been seen that big budgeted films with ticket rates as high as
Rs 2000 in AP/ TS has backfired after a bad Word of mouth talk has spread. In
Tamil Nadu, the new legislation would mean Rs 8 cut and this is not going to
bring more crowds. The parking charges, prices of eatables in theatres canteens
are costing more than the ticket rates. After a consumer court ruling on
selling bottled water at MRP, theatres have instead put water coolers to beat
the argument that drinking water has to be provided free and sell bottled water
without MRP and say that these bottles are manufactured for sale in theatres
only. Popcorn and other snacks too have
no MRP .
Tamil Nadu
holding on to strict pricig control of movie tickets is a great help to movie
goers. Apart from this the no permission to fan shows that sell tickets
at exorbitant rates and screen them at late night hours is a great relief.
As Malavika
Mohanan is all set to join Karthi in Bangkok for a special song in Sardar 2, Vaa
Vathiyaar film directed by Nalan Kumaraswamy is getting delayed further. The
film that started much before Sardar sequel is still lying unfinished as
Producer is not able to get 20 days call
sheet from Karthi. As Amazon who bought the OTTare keen that the film
Sardar 1 is given in time to schedule releasem the film is given all importance
by Karthi.
The Bangkok
leg is expected to be power-packed, with high-octane sequences and a special
song being shot during this phase. A source close to the development revealed,
"Malavika Mohanan is set to fly to Bangkok in the first week of June for
the next schedule of Sardar 2 alongside Karthi. The team will also be shooting
a special song during this leg of the shoot."
Sardar 2
marks her next collaboration in Tamil after Thangalaan with Vikram ar, and is
already being talked about for its gripping plot and scale. But that’s just one
piece of the puzzle. Malavika’s growing pan-India appeal is evident in her
upcoming lineup, which includes three major films across industries — The Raja
Saab with Prabhas in Telugu, Hridayapoorvam with Mohanlal in Malayalam, and
Sardar 2 with Karthi in Tamil.
