The Tax Exemption Committee of Tamil Nadu has once again denied the tax exemption for a Udhayanidhi Stalin film. This time, it is for the recently released Manithan. Due to his DMK lineage, Udhayanidhi Stalin’s films are routinely denied the entertainment tax exemption. On this occasion, the committee reasoned that Manithan is not a Tamil word. In response, Udhay tweeted:
#Manithan ! Is not a tamil word? pic.twitter.com/EJPjYHGw55
— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) April 29, 2016
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
The criteria for a film to be granted tax exemption are:
- The film must have a ‘U’ certificate.
- There must not be excessive violence, abusive language or obscenity.
- A majority of dialogues must be in Tamil.
- The title of the film must be in Tamil.
The committee has stated that while the film satisfies all the other criteria, Manithan is a Sanskrit, not Tamil, word.
‘Manithan’ (human being) is arguably a Tamil word which has been in frequent use, in official spoken and written Tamil, as well as colloquially. The suggested words ‘Maanthan’ and ‘Maanthar’ are no longer used. Udhay further tweeted:
Will be filing a case against the govt on Monday ! Don’t know whether I will win or loose! But I Wil keep fighting! #Manithan
— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) April 29, 2016
In the past five years, none of Udhayanidhi’s film have been awarded tax exemptions directly. In each instance, he has had to file a motion against the denial.
