Ruling that ‘Gethu’ was in fact a Tamil word, this Friday the Madras High Court ordered the State government to grant an entertainment tax for Udhayanidhi Stalin’s film Gethu. Udhayanidhi Stalin is also the producer of the film. The six member Viewing Committee had earlier unanimously concluded that the word ‘Gethu’ was not a Tamil word, and rejected Red Giant Movies’ request for a tax exemption.
Senior counsel P Wilson, appearing on behalf of Red Giant Movies, had produced several dictionaries where the word ‘Gethu’ (in Tamil) appears. Justice M Duraiswamy said, “When the word ‘Gethu’ has been included in Tamil dictionaries, I am not in a position to understand how the six member Viewing Committee unanimously came to the conclusion that the word ‘Gethu’ is not a Tamil word.”
Expressing delight over the judgement, Udhayanidhi Stalin tweeted:
#redgiant wins the case against the TN govt! Chennai high court grants tax exemption for #gethu from the date of release! ??
— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) February 5, 2016
