Film on RTI gets tax relief

CHENNAI: A day after a director, who has made a film on the Right to Information Act, alleged that a state minister's personal assistant demanded Rs 5 lakh bribe to clear tax concession for the movie, the commercial taxes department on Tuesday issued the order giving the tax relief.
"I was surprised to receive a call from the department in the evening saying the order for tax concession is ready.I went there and collected the order without paying any bribe," said Mhanukkannan, whose Tamil movie 'Angusam' was scheduled for release on October 25, the RTI Day. The order was issued on the day TOI published a report on the director's troubles.
"I have been regularly visiting the department after applying for tax concession. But Sarath Babu, personal assistant to commercial taxes minister B V Ramanaa, demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh for clearing tax relief. I had lodged a complaint with the chief minister's office on October 18 about the delay," he said. Incidentally, the order, though issued on Tuesday, is dated October 18.
Both Sarath Babu and Ramanaa have denied the allegations, saying the director was trying to gain cheap publicity. When contacted on Tuesday, Sarath Babu said he didn't demand any bribe and claimed he had approved tax concession before Mhanukkannan went public with his allegation.
But the delay means the movie will not hit theatres on October 25. "It is difficult to release the film on October 25 because of this delay. I am now planning to release it on November 15," said Mhanukannan. "I am thankful to the efforts taken by the chief minister in removing all the hurdles for the movie," he said.
Mhanukkannan said the film 'Angusam' (the word refers to a stick used by mahouts to control elephants) was inspired by a real-life incident, in which a youth in Trichy used the RTI Act to take on a corrupt MLA with help from the district collector.
In Tamil Nadu, movies with Tamil titles and those which contribute to the development of Tamil language, heritage and culture are eligible to get 15% entertainment tax exemption. Another condition is that they should have 'U' certificate from the Censor board.
Elizabeth Seshadri, a city-based advocate who had launched an online campaign for the release of the movie and seeking action against the official, said it was a victory of truth. "I am glad the director has finally got justice. It will also inspire others to come out and raise their voice against corruption."