A proposed 570 per cent entertainment tax hike has become Mumbai’s latest theatre flashpoint, and AICWA is taking the fight straight to the state government. At a time when cinema halls are fiercely protective of ticket affordability, All Indian Cine Workers Association president Suresh Shyamlal Gupta met Maharashtra ministers on October 13 and urged them to stop the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s plan before it reshapes the city’s theatrical economics.
Gupta met Ashish Shelar, Maharashtra’s Minister of Cultural Affairs, followed by Labour Minister Akash Pandurang Fundkar and Minister of State for Labour Ashish Jaiswal. His message was blunt: if the civic proposal goes through in its current form, theatres and audiences will both feel the impact.
Aicwa Flags The Risk To Theatre Footfalls
Gupta said he warned the ministers that the proposed increase would eventually land on moviegoers. “I told them that if this 570 per cent hike is implemented, then the ticket price will increase, which will lead people to go to theatres less. In turn, theatres will suffer huge losses and shut down.”
He also told Shelar that his demand was for the proposed hike to be scrapped altogether, not merely softened. In that context, Gupta said, “I explained to Ashish Shelarji that due to the pandemic and OTT, footfall in the theatres was anyway low. The tax should not be reduced, but cancelled immediately. He said he will take action on the matter,” recounted Gupta.
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The numbers at the centre of the dispute are steep. Under the proposal, the tax on air-conditioned cinema halls would rise from Rs 60 to Rs 400, while in non air-conditioned theatres it would jump from Rs 45 to Rs 200. That scale of increase is what has turned a civic proposal into an industry-wide concern.
Safety On Sets Also Featured In The Meetings
The tax issue was not the only matter Gupta carried into those meetings. He also used the opportunity to raise a broader workers’ concern, on-set safety, after the October 5 fire on the set of Pati Patni Aur Panga 2 at Mumbai’s Film City.
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Recalling the ministers’ response, Gupta said, “They said they’ll ensure that safety protocols are strictly implemented.”
The fire had already pushed AICWA to seek stricter compliance at shooting hubs, making safety a natural second plank in Gupta’s conversations with the state leadership. The linkage was clear: while one issue concerns the financial pressure on exhibition, the other goes to the everyday working conditions of film and television crews.
What Happens Next
The significance of these meetings now lies in whether the Maharashtra government chooses to act before the proposal moves ahead. By taking the issue directly to key ministers, AICWA has ensured that the debate is no longer confined to trade anxiety or civic paperwork.
For Mumbai’s film ecosystem, the stakes are immediate and practical. One side of the argument is about keeping cinema-going accessible in one of India’s biggest movie markets. The other is about ensuring that the people who keep sets running work in safer conditions. Gupta’s ministerial push has now tied both concerns to the same larger conversation about how the industry is being governed.
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