83, the upcoming Ranveer Singh-starrer, has been declared tax-free in Delhi, the makers announced on social media on Tuesday. The Hindi film is slated for release on Friday, December 24.
The film’s director Kabir Khan took to Instagram and thanked Delhi’s chief minister and deputy chief minister. He wrote, “Thank you, Shri Arvind Kejriwal ji and Shri Manish Sisodia ji, for declaring the film 83 tax-free in Delhi!”
Shibasish Sarkar, CEO of Reliance Entertainment – one of the film’s producers, also expressed his gratitude to the Delhi CM and Deputy CM on Twitter.
83 stars Singh as Kapil Dev, and also features actors Deepika Padukone, Jiiva, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Saqib Saleem, Harrdy Sandhu, Ammy Virk, Pankaj Tripathi, Boman Irani, Nishant Dahiya, Sahil Khattar, and several others. The sports drama chronicles the journey of the Indian cricket team to win the country’s maiden World Cup title in 1983 under Kapil Dev’s captaincy.
The film is jointly produced by Kabir Khan, Vishnu Vardhan Induri, Madhu Mantena’s Phantom Films, Deepika Padukone’s Ka Productions, Sajid Nadiadwala, Reliance Entertainment, and 83 Film Ltd.
Ahead of the film’s release, in a recent press meet in Kolkata, former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev said that if 83 was made 20-30 years back, he would have played himself in it.
Speaking at the same event, director Khan noted that since nobody had broadcast India’s historic win back in 1983, hundreds of eyewitnesses and audience members were interviewed for the film. He also added that the journey of making 83 was special for him since it involved extensive research to recreate the historic moment after almost four decades.
In an earlier conversation with Silverscreen India, Addinath Kothare, who portrays Indian batsman Dilip Vengsarkar in 83, said that if any film could bring the audience back to the theatres, it would be this one.
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Meanwhile, there are reports that the film’s makers have demanded 80-90% primetime shows for 83. Exhibitors, however, have decided to not give in to these demands since Spider-Man: No Way Home is still faring well in theatres across the country. A source informed Bollywood Hungama that Reliance Entertainment demanded that 100% of all shows at single screens be dedicated to 83 and asked for “a higher share of shows in the multiplexes too with maximum primetime shows.” But theatre owners have reportedly refused to bow down and it remains to be seen how many screens 83 finally gets.