Due
to the waiver of entertainment taxes
to films with Tamil titles, Kollywood
has benefited enormously. The three
latest films that have changed its
title from English to Tamil have grossed
around 3 crores as profit due to the
waiver of entertainment taxes alone.
Generally 15% of a film’s collection
should be paid as entertainment taxes
to the government. It is this segment
that the CM has waived off.
The films that have changed their
titles are Sillunnu Oru Kadal, Enakkum
Unakkum and Em Magan.
Enakkum
Unakkum has earned around 8 crores and
saved 1.5 crore. Em Magan which is a success
in B and C centres has managed to put
aside around 1.20 crore. Sillunnu Oru
Kadal is a moderate success with approximately
70 lakhs in its kitty. Following the lead
from these films, Ajith’s Godfather
has been rechristened as Varalaru. The
other films to follow suit are ‘Pradhi
Nyayiru 9 mudal 10.30 varai’, ‘azhagiya
asura’, ‘Ninaithaale’,
‘Maanava Manigal’ and ‘Ranga’.
Films
that have already been titled in Tamil would
get a rebate on their taxes based on their
collections. In Tamil, around 100 films
are made every year and an approximate amount
of 60 crores are being paid as taxes to
the government. So, in the present scenario,
Kollywood is likely to earn a profit of
60 crores per annum. The amount that has
been saved due to this rebate would be shared
among the producer, distributor and theatre
owner.
