Hindi
Reduce GST on film industry, IMPPA pleads to FM Jaitley
NEW DELHI: The Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA) has urged the government to fix 5 per cent as the maximum GST rate that should be charged on all goods and services connected with the entertainment industry including entertainment tax.
In a letter to finance minister Arun Jaitley, IMPPA President T P Aggarwal said, “This will provide life to an industry which is being crushed under the heavy burden of tax and which needs immediate help and support of the government to survive”.
Pointing out that IMPPA was the oldest body of filmmakers having been set up in 1937, Aggarwal said the film industry has been burdened with the extreme end of high GST.
“In all other products, tax is levied after recovery of cost of production as well as input credit where all taxes and GST paid are adjusted in the GST payable,” he added. But in the film industry, GST has to be paid on goods and services as well as on sale of tickets irrespective of the fact whether the expenses incurred on making the film along with taxes paid thereon have been recovered or not.
GST in the form of entertainment tax has to be paid on the sale of tickets from the first ticket onwards where it has been fixed at the highly unreasonable level of 18 per cent for tickets up to Rs 100 and 28 per cent for tickets more than Rs 100.
The letter said that the imposition of uniform 18 per cent GST on majority of goods and services is also largely responsible for the miserable state of the film industry because very few films are profitable propositions and majority of films are disasters leading to the annihilation of the producers.
Aggarwal wrote that the government should be “providing free entertainment to the people who pay so many taxes.” Instead, it levies heavy entertainment tax which has to be paid by the poor citizen on films. Producers deserve to get the full money since the films are self-financed without any government aid.
He said that very few hit films make money while the rest are reeling in losses. Meanwhile, both the central and state governments cash in by imposing GST at every level. He demands that the practice of state governments choosing their own amount of entertainment tax must be abolished.
Hindi
Dhurandhar returns to theatres worldwide on March 13 ahead of Dhurandhar The Revenge release
Jio Studios re-releases blockbuster across 500 screens globally before sequel
MUMBAI: The spy saga of Dhurandhar is gearing up for a big-screen encore before its next chapter arrives.
Ahead of the release of Dhurandhar The Revenge on March 19, Jio Studios and B62 Studios are bringing the original Dhurandhar back to cinemas worldwide in a rare international theatrical re-release.
The global blockbuster is returning across nearly 500 screens, including around 250 in India from March 12 and another 250 overseas beginning March 13.
For fans of the franchise, the move offers a chance to revisit the film that ignited the high-octane spy-action universe just days before the sequel lands in theatres. It also sets up a rare back-to-back big-screen experience, allowing audiences to relive the original before diving straight into the next chapter.
While re-releases of popular films are occasionally seen in India, international re-runs of Hindi films remain uncommon. The scale of the rollout reflects the growing global appetite for the franchise.
In North America alone, Dhurandhar will return to theatres across nearly 185 screens, highlighting the strong anticipation surrounding the upcoming sequel.
The excitement is set to build further with special Wednesday premiere shows of Dhurandhar The Revenge scheduled across the US and Canada on March 18, a day ahead of its global release. Many of these premieres will be hosted on premium large format screens, featuring wall-to-wall displays, immersive sound systems such as Dolby Atmos, enhanced projection and luxury seating.
These formats are typically reserved for major Hollywood event films, and early bookings suggest strong demand with several shows already sold out.
The recently released trailer of Dhurandhar The Revenge has also sparked buzz among exhibitors and trade circles, with expectations running high for the film’s international performance.
Dhurandhar The Revenge is written, directed and produced by Aditya Dhar. The film is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar.
Jio Studios presents a B62 Studios production, an Aditya Dhar film.
The spy-action thriller will release worldwide on March 19, 2026, in five languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
The film arrives in theatres globally on the occasion of Gudi Padwa and Ugadi, just ahead of Eid, setting the stage for a festive box office run.
