Friday, October 8, 2010

‘Endhiran’ Theatres Raided in Bangalore


Bangalore theatres screening Rajinikanth’s ‘Endhiran’ were raided by the Income Tax department alleging they flouted norms brazenly.

The Karnataka theatrical rights of ‘Endhiran’ were purchased for approximately 9 Crores. So the exhibitors in a bid to recover their high bid in quick time had hiked ticket prices to Rs. 200 - 300 without prior approval from the authorities.

The main reason said for the unprecedented raids is that the theaters have not conformed to the tax policies. In Karnataka the entertainment tax for Non-Kannada movies is 30% and so when the theatres collect more they wonder where the extra bucks will go.

‘Endhiran’ has already been fodder for the Karnataka media. A rule passed by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce permitting only limited screens for non Kannada movies has been disobeyed by the exhibitors of ‘Endhiran’. Sources add that whereas only 24 screens are permitted for exhibiting a non Kannada movie, ‘Endhiran’ is being screened in 58 theatres in South Karnataka alone and that includes Bangalore.

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