The Producers’ Council last week had stated that no new Tamil film will release in protest against the double taxation, the big question is, will the much-hyped Mersal release during Diwali?
The makers of Mersal are very confident about the Diwali release. Posters with the release date are out. While the council is still in talks with the Tamil Nadu government on the double taxation issue, Sri Thenandal Films tweeted:
#MersalArasan #vaaran! #MersalDiwali #9DaysToGo pic.twitter.com/BPreFwHx8L
— Sri Thenandal Films (@ThenandalFilms) October 9, 2017
“The producers of Mersal had decided on the Diwali release months back, no other films are releasing around that time. There is no compulsion on any producer to not release a film, it is just an understanding between the council and the producers. Mersal will release as per plan,” a source told Silverscreen.
The theatre owners associations and the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) are protesting against the 10 percent additional tax over and above the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST).
“No new Tamil films will release this week as we feel the additional 10 percent Local Body Entertainment Tax (LBET) above the GST will disable the industry,” TFPC president Vishal had said last week.
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Members of the producers’ council had a meeting with government officials today. They are hoping to resolve the issue amicably. About Mersal’s release plan, a member of producers’ council told Silverscreen, “We are in talks with the government to sort out the issue. We are looking for a positive reply from the government. At the end of the day, we don’t want any producers to suffer by not releasing their films. We look forward to resolving this issue before Diwali.”
Mersal has been certified U/A by the censor board and is gearing up for a worldwide release on October 18. Unperturbed by the mounting tensions over the release, producer Hema Rukmani told Silverscreen, “Mersal will definitely release during Diwali.”
Directed by Atlee, Mersal features Vijay in a triple role – as a Panchayat head, a doctor and a magician. His Panchayat head avatar has also been turned into an emoji character on Twitter.
The film also stars Kajal Aggarwal, Nithya Menen, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and SJ Suryah, with music by AR Rahman.