Media and entertainment industry bodies are planning to submit representations to the Karnataka government for a reversal of the 1-2% cess on cinema tickets besides TV and over-the-top (OTT) subscription fees, people familiar with the development said.

The Cine and Cultural Activists Welfare Cess will also be imposed on all revenue generated from related establishments such as cinema theatres, multiplex halls, OTT, TV channels and other such establishments notified by the government.

Apart from the state government, the industry bodies could also petition the governor and the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB), the nodal ministry for TV, OTT and film industries, they added.The industry bodies that are likely to make representations include the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Multiplex Association of India (MAI) and Producers Guild of India (PGI).

If the state government refuses to roll back the cess on movie tickets and OTT subscriptions, the industry bodies could also seek legal remedy by challenging the Karnataka Cine & Cultural Activists Welfare Bill's applicability to OTT platforms and TV channels.

"The bill may lead to similar legislation being passed by other state governments. It would also lead to increased costs for consumers," a senior media executive said on condition of anonymity.

Legal experts say that the proposed tax would disrupt the uniform tax structure envisaged under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and create an uneven playing field for various forms of entertainment.

"The imposition of any cess on a supply or consumption will lead to tax cascading and ultimately increase the price of the supply. The cess should be imposed only under exceptional circumstances, as such additional levies will be against the broad objectives of GST, thereby leading to constitutional debates," said Abhishek Rastogi, founder of Rastogi Chambers.

The bill, which seeks to establish a welfare fund for artists and technicians in the film industry in Karnataka, has been passed by both houses of the state legislature and is awaiting the governor's assent.

PVR Inox chief business planning and strategy officer Kamal Gianchandani, who is also the president of MAI, said that the cess will be detrimental for the industry.

He also said the cess defeats the purpose of ‘one nation-one tax’ under the GST regime. While stating that MAI will raise its concerns with the state government, Gianchandani said legal remedy is always an option.

With KGF - Chapter 2, people beyond Karnataka will understand why Yash is called the Rocking Star, director Prashanth Neel said at the trailer launch of the film. The actor, who has become a pan-Indian name, speaks about surrendering to Prashanth’s vision, his plans, thought process and more. Excerpts. .

It is part of my profession and out here, it was all about the vision and the cinema. No one is bigger than cinema and all of us are slaves of our vision. Once, you have a vision, you just dedicate all you have towards it. This is my belief system.

What makes KGF special are the relationships I have gained. KGF is a vision and I would call it

Karnataka’s wealth or pride.

Pan-Indian star means that I have gained more love and support from different parts of the country.

We grew together. I would find it hard to pinpoint what exactly changed, but we change daily over time and this change could either affect the way I play a character or maybe the character itselfis the reason for the change. As we progress in life, there will be changes. Whether they are good or bad and what we need to do depends on us.

It is not just confidence, but also the hard work to back that confidence. If you are ready to dedicate that hard work and live towards working for that dream, then you can achieve anything.

I have done the same in all my films, but he is saying it because of his greatness and because he feels secure. I wouldn’t say there is anything great in what I have done. Instead of quantifying each one’s involvement, I would say it is his vision and world where I have enjoyed working as much in front of the camera as behind the screen. Our sole purpose was to entertain. As individuals, Prashanth and I share a great bond and I have immense respect for him. He is a great director. His abilities come from his understanding of life. He is clear with his thinking. I am very fond of him.

There are some characters who come with the scope for dancing and there are some who don’t. We do not need to force fit something. Eventually, when you give something genuine, which is entertaining, fans and audience will like it.

I want to do more good films and better things. Eventually, belief is what makes life. We need to have that and I have always maintained that when you stand firm with your beliefs, then everything progresses. I also believe we need not think that anything is ultimate. Yet, we need to believe that every step of ours is big and have that same conviction in every step.

Cinema happens with the hard work of many people. It is a false notion that a hero is the main reason. For me to do my work as an actor, there is an entire army of people who work behind the scenes and also, the sacrifices of my family. So, I wouldn’t say I take people with me, but it is more like we all move ahead together.

I would like to make movies quicker and faster, but it depends on what kind of film it is and how fast everything will fall in place. But I can assure you that I never waste any time. I am always working. Cinema is always on my mind and it becomes our responsibility, too. I am the sort who would be happiest if I was on the sets daily.

She has given up. While she rejoiced last time, I had to again get into the look. I am also fond of the bearded look. Now, it will all depend on the character of my next film and what my future directors want from me.

Sonu Sood bought a tractor for Nageswara Rao after a viral video showed his daughters pulling a plough across their field because they were unable to afford oxen

After Feeding And Helping Migrants Reach Home, The Actor Now Wants To Create Jobs For Them
Avijit Ghosh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 26, 2020)

If you are a medical student stuck in Kyrgyzstan, a Chittoor farmer whose daughters must pull the plough because he can’t afford a pair of oxen or a priest who needs money to carry out a knee surgery for his offspring — get the message out to Sonu Sood. Help might be at hand. In the past few months, the 47-year-old Bollywood actor has not only become an everyday Santa Claus for the disadvantaged and the desperate, he has emerged as India’s chief minister of hope.

Sonu’s Twitter timeline is a document of everything India has endured since the nationwide Coronavirus lockdown in March. It’s a bulletin board for the jobless, the stranded and the ailing — ordinary people handcuffed by problems and with nowhere to go. But the model-turned-actor’s account — he has 3.2 million followers — is also a heart-tugging story of a film star who walks his tweets. And who doesn’t stop walking, even though the lockdown is long gone.

The lockdown had created a food crisis, especially for the lowest in the survival pyramid. Sonu started distributing meals in Thane. One day, a group of 350 migrants wanted him to pack food for their 10-day trek back to Karnataka. He asked them to wait for a few days and got necessary permission to send them home by bus. But driving back to home, when he saw an unending caravan of weary men, women and children trudging along the highway, the big picture flashed in his mind.

“I realised that this is not the story of 350 people but of millions of migrants across India. From that day, I began connecting people across states. We have sent close to 1.5 lakh people home,” Sonu says. In June, he was also dragged into a verbal crossfire between the Maharashtra state government and the opposition, but the actor sorted things out.

Sonu was born in Patiala, brought up in Moga; both Punjab towns. His father ran a cloth shop and his mother taught English in a local college. He grew up watching her coach college students for free at home. Every week his father hosted langars outside his shop. The teenager internalised empathy from their actions. “They were my school. From them I learnt to step forward and help the needy,” says the actor over the phone.

In recent weeks, Sonu has expanded his horizons. While dropping off migrants to airports, railway stations and bus stands, he would often wonder what would happen when they come back to Mumbai. “That’s when I thought, I must generate jobs for them,” he says.

An electronics engineer by training, Sonu had built a circle of friends during his college days in Nagpur. They came together with other professionals to produce Pravasi Rozgar, a free portal and app for job seekers ranging from DTP operators, drivers, plumbers and accountants. On August 15, he tweeted, “300,000+ jobs committed, 20,000+ interviews in progress.”

“About 10,000 have already started their work. We are trying to upscale this initiative by connecting with 8,000-10,000 schools across the country. We will teach them and place them in the kind of jobs they want. In the next 6-8 months, we will get connected to the rest of the country,” he says. His missions were mostly self-funded, he says, before others joined in.

Several Bollywood personalities have offered their chequebooks and hearts to aid the needy in recent months. And the beneficiaries have responded with return gifts of gratitude: letters, notes, paintings. A pregnant woman from Darbhanga, whom he had helped return home, has named her son after him. Someone has sent him a doll of his mother. “There is a moment every day that touches your heart and makes you believe that you are doing something right in life,” he says.

“I wasn’t trained to get people back home from Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan. Speaking to ambassadors, the Union ministry of external affairs, getting landing permissions — I had never done that before. But I had the confidence it would happen,” he says. And he has retained his sense of humour. Someone tweeted asking for a lift to a liquor shop; Sonu replied, “Brother, I can only drop you from liquor store to your home.”

His film career is in fine fettle too. The actor of Dabangg, Jodhaa Akbar and Arundhati (Telugu) will be shooting for Yash Raj Film’s historical Prithviraj, the 12th century Rajput king. Sonu plays the poet Chand Bardai, who wrote Prithviraj Raso. “I am getting interesting scripts, roles that I had never done before,” he says.

There’s talk Sonu will join politics. “I am in a good space. I want to stay before the camera for the next few years. Then let us see what happens.”

With Thadam remake initially slated to roll in Delhi, makers of Sidharth Malhotra-starrer consider new location as they hope to kick off the film in August
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; June 12, 2020)

Sidharth Malhotra was eagerly waiting to kick off the shoot of the Thadam remake, and with good reason — the remake of the 2019 Tamil hit marks his first attempt at a double role. The schedule of the Vardhan Ketkar-directed venture, originally slated to go on floors in May, was naturally hampered by the lockdown. Now, as producers Murad Khetani and Bhushan Kumar are hoping to begin the project in August, they are in a dilemma over the film's location.

"As per the original plan, the unit was to head to Delhi in May where the film would be shot in a start-to-finish schedule. The director was keen on shooting certain crucial sequences across real locations. Now, even as the state government has allowed the resumption of shoots, there has been no such development in the capital. So, the makers are considering other possible locations where they can set the story," reveals a trade source.

Far from being bogged down by the delay, Khetani says they are charting out a plan to ensure the project kicks off on the right note. "Currently, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Maharashtra have given permission to shoot. It is too early to decide whether we will film in Delhi or another city; we don't know which state governments will allow shooting by August. We will take a call early next month."

Given the recent turn of events, a November release is off the cards. "We were eyeing a November 23 release, but that is not possible," concedes Khetani, adding that they have the Herculean task of reworking the schedule. "Sidharth was to shoot for Indra Kumar's film before he began our movie, so he will have to work out his dates. Since he has two different looks, he will need to do look tests and a 10-day prep."

Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 17, 2020)

Just a few days ago, actor Sonu Sood organised 10 buses for migrant workers to take them back home to Gulbarga, Karnataka. Now, the Dabangg (2010) actor has organised multiple bus services to take migrant workers to Uttar Pradesh (UP). Amidst the ongoing Coronavirus crisis,, Sood has taken extra precautions and after several efforts, managed to get official permissions from the UP state government to send migrants to their home towns.

“Helping him in the endeavour to help hundreds of migrants meet their families is Sood’s good friend Neeti Goel, who’s also a part of this initiative. Multiple buses left from Wadala, Mumbai on May 15 to various parts of UP including Lucknow, Hardoi, Pratapgarh and Siddharthnagar, as well as to cities in Jharkhand and Bihar. Sonu was present to bid goodbye to the migrants and even made arrangements for their meals,” says a source.

Opening up about the same, Sood says, “It has been an extremely emotional journey for me, as my heart pains to see these migrants staying away from their homes and trying to walk all the way home. I will continue sending migrants home until the last migrant reunites with his family and loved ones. This is something really close to my heart and I will give it my all.”

Sanskrita Bharadwaj (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 6, 2020)

Actor Adil Hussian, who was supposed to be in Dhaka, Bangladesh, shooting for, one of his most “challenging roles” is now in New Delhi within the comforts of his home. “All the projects I was associated with have been halted indefinitely,” he says.

Talking about how the current Coronavirus crisis is affecting artists, the actor says, “It is affecting artistes in multiple ways, the way it is affecting the common man. From an emotional and mental health point of view, the effect is common for everybody. People who are used to solitude will definitely have a great time,” adding, “Everybody should be aware that emotional health is intertwined with physical health, and there will also be an economical impact and insecurities will increase.”

When asked how long he thinks it’s going to take for things to get normal, he says he hasn’t done any study on it but “intuitively, it’s going to be a long haul and things might only come to normal by July-August. I don’t know, it’s just my feeling.”

The actor says confinement comes easily to him. “I lived on a river island for two-and-a-half years without electricity in Karnataka. I lived in a hut and I had only access to very few people, so I am absolutely fine with confinement. No problem, whatsoever. I am exploring new recipes, how to cook things with minimum ingredients, and I am having fun,” he signs off.

After battling postpartum depression with first pregnancy, Sameera Reddy is scaling mountains with her second child
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 3, 2019)

From an underwater photoshoot to 6300 feet above water level, Sameera Reddy has already taken her two-and-a-half-month-old daughter places. Last Wednesday, the actress, with husband Akshai Varde and kids, Hans and Nyra, travelled to Karnataka just months after delivering her daughter on July 12. In comfy pajamas, with little Nyra strapped to her front, she climbed Mullayanagiri and shared their journey with the world.

Back in the Bay, she is flushed with pride and recounts that the adventure started with a nature walk in the coffee plantations of Chikmagalur. “It was an educational trip for four-and-a-half year-old Hans. We also went on a safari in Bhadra reserve so that he could see animals like tigers and peacocks, two of which he spotted right in front of the door. It was a special moment for him. Then, we went hiking and I decided to scale Karnataka’s highest peak. It’s something I was really excited about,” she beams, confiding that after Hans was born, she had suffered from postpartum depression and sat at home for a year, refusing to step out. “I was confused, feeling low and crying all the time. Maybe it was the baby blues and I did not want to go down that road again. That’s why I have been up and about since the first day of this pregnancy. I was shooting till a day prior to Nyra’s birth.”

And just how difficult was it travelling with a two-month old baby? Sameera insists it was smooth sailing. “My Nyra is an explorer, she was wide awake all the way, checking out everything. Not once did she cry and later she slept really well,” she shares, adding that this time motherhood has made her fearless and debunking all the usual myths, she’s started feeling good from within. “I spent nine months making this beautiful child, I’m not going to be sitting at home being scared now.”

She insists that there’s a bigger purpose in Nyra’s birth which is to tell all new mothers to not worry about their weight but to let go of all their fears and inhibitions, just go out there and have fun.

“My husband now tells me that I have become a new person,” she jokes, admitting that many women have been messaging her that she’s inspired them to embrace motherhood.

Sameera also supports breastfeeding and refuses to be cooped up with her baby within the four walls of her home. “I’ve fed Nyra in the backseat of a car and on the top of a mountain. I should not feel ashamed about feeding my own child,” she reasons.

She has a role model in Kareena Kapoor who’s worked all through her pregnancy and after, doing things her way without listening to anyone. “She is such a hands-on loving mother and I respect her for breaking the myth that motherhood requires you to change your attitude with respect to your career,” she applauds, then, surprises you by telling you that Bollywood is a fake world of social media friendships and glittering parties. “I’ve never been a part of it because I like to be real. I’m sure they wouldn’t like me for doing this.”

Sameera herself has always been adventurous. She went backpacking around Thailand for a month when she was 18. Are any more trips on the cards? “We’ll do one every two months. The next one is to Kerala. I’ll go out and make travel stories with my kids and educate mothers on how to do it,” she signs off with a smile.

South star Sudeep and Suniel push Pailwaan music launch to lend helping hand to Karnataka flood victims
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; August 10, 2019)

Work was on in full swing for the grand music launch of Pailwaan, the multi-lingual action drama featuring South superstar Kichcha Sudeep and Suniel Shetty. The event - that was scheduled for August 10 - was envisioned as a grand one, with a majestic set built at Chitradurga in Karnataka and an expected audience of over 1.5 lakh fans. However, on Thursday, the superstar announced that he was postponing the event in the aftermath of the Karnataka floods. The team has instead decided to offer financial and medical aid to the flood victims in the state.

Producer-director S Krishna tells mid-day, "Sudeep sir took the initiative, and after consulting everybody in the team, we decided to postpone it. A lot of money was spent [on the set], but when half the state is shattered because of heavy rains and floods, it is not the time to celebrate."

Sudeep and Shetty are now leading from the front in putting a relief team in place for those affected by the floods. "Sudeep sir and our production house are in talks with a team of doctors who will be sent to the [worst-hit areas] and take care of the patients. The expenses of the necessary treatment and medicines will be borne by the production house. For now, we are contributing by way of sending relief items such as food and clothing. We are also working with Sudeep sir’s fans clubs and sending their contributions to those in need."

Gladwin Emmanuel (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 7, 2018)

While Rajinikanth fans await his next film, Kaala, which hits screens today, the film’s release in Karnataka is in a limbo. Enraged at the 67-year-old actor’s comment supporting the cause of Tamil Nadu farmers in the Cauvery water release issue, fringe groups in Karnataka have called for a state-wide ban on the film.

Meanwhile, after the Karnataka High Court directed the state government to provide security for the ‘peaceful release’ of the film, Rajinikanth has made another appeal to Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has reportedly backed deferring release of the film “in this environment”, to ensure a smooth release.

The actor-turned-politician had previously explained that with the now controversial statement, he was only asking for the implementation of the Supreme Court order on the Cauvery water issue. “What is wrong in that?” he asked. In an appeal in Kannada, he asked Kumaraswamy to ensure protection to cinema halls showing his film.

Stating that he is aware of the political dilemma that Kumaraswamy is in, Rajinikanth also argued that the ban in Karnataka would only damage the state’s image.

Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan was quoted as saying, “Vishwaroopam was also banned in Karnataka, the film chambers in respective states had to sort it out. There are many fans eagerly waiting for Rajini’s film to be released there. Just like the farmers issues need a conversation, so do films.”

Rajini and Haasan, the biggest stars of Tamil films, have always been a target for fringe groups in the state and around but their recent forays into politics seem to have aggravated the situation. After the backlash against Rajini, Haasan has come under fire for holding a meeting with Kumaraswamy to discuss the Cauvery issue.

With the Karnataka Government introducing a cap on the cost of film tickets, BT finds out if this move can be replicated in Maharashtra and the effects it could have...
Rachana Dubey and Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; May 4, 2017)