Mumbai (Maharashtra): Savita Raj Hiremath, one of the producers of megastar Amitabh Bachchan's Jhund, has said that she is "perplexed" why her film was not made tax-free as it not only witnessed positive audience reaction but also had a subject that is "crucial to our country's growth". Jhund, which released theatrically on March 4 to glowing reviews, featured Bachchan as Vijay Barse, a Nagpur-based retired sports teacher who pioneered a slum soccer movement. The movie marked the Hindi debut of filmmaker Nagraj Manjule, known for his acclaimed Marathi films Fandry and Sairat.
A week after Jhund, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files, based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s, opened in cinemas. The film garnered support from the central government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who endorsed the movie.
The Kashmir Files, featuring Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi, was also declared tax-free in states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Karnataka, Bihar, Tripura and Goa. On Friday, Hiremath took to Facebook and wrote that while The Kashmir Files is an important film, Jhund was no less.
"I recently watched Kashmir Files and as the story of Kashmiri Pandits exodus it's heartbreaking and is a story that needed to be told. It is a good voice for Kashmiri Pandits! But as the producer of Jhund, I am perplexed. After all, Jhund, is also an important film and has a story and a big message that has received tremendous acclaim and word of mouth from the audience," she said.