Budget 2019: Can Bollywood Expect Positive Changes this Year?

The Hindi film industry, popularly known as Bollywood, has mostly worn a sentiment that it’s not treated at par with other existing and flourishing industries by different governments, and thus it was seen as a welcome move by the PMO to invite leading producers and actors for talks regarding the issues of tax cuts and the cause of nation building.

IANS, in one of its columns, wrote: The film industry made a representation to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while he was in Mumbai, to inaugurate the film museum at the Films Division property in South Mumbai, in December. Some concessions were sought on GST on cinema tickets and the response was instant; the request was granted. The GST slabs were reduced to 12 per cent from 18 per cent on tickets costing Rs 100 and 18 per cent from 28 per cent on other ticket rates. Such a response from Delhi to a film industry request was a never before event!

Another team comprising Bollywood representatives met Modi in January this year, to thank him for his immediate response.

Karan Johar, who was a prominent face during both the meetings with Modi, spoke about Bollywood’s expectations at World Economic Forum in Davos. He said, “We've never been a politically-run industry. 90% of us are apolitical. We went to ask for certain things - reduction in GST, single window clearance, and controlling piracy. Bollywood is being helped.”

In a time when ticket prices are soaring, the industry is struggling to find ways to keep the landing cost of the films under control. They would expect the government to help them in this pursuit. Will this year’s budget fulfil their wishes?

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