A day before release, Cong govts in Puducherry, MP & Chhattisgarh declare 'Chhapaak' tax-free

NEW DELHI: Deepika Padukone-starrer 'Chhapaak' continues to make news. A day before its commercial release across the country, Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh - incidentally, all ruled by Congress governments - on Thursday declared the Meghna Gulzar-directorial tax-free in their respective states.

The Chief Ministers of all the three states - Velu Narayanasamy of Puducherry, Kamal Nath of MP and Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh - took to social media to confirm the news.

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Narayanasamy's office shared the news on their official Twitter handle. The Puducherry government decided to give tax relief to the film based on acid-attack survivor as it 'gives clear picture of woman issues'.


In a series of posts, Nath wrote that the movie, which will release on Friday, spreads a positive message about the victims of acid attack. Declaring the film tax-free across Madhya Pradesh, Nath wrote that the film portrays the pain, confidence, struggle, hope and passion for life of the acid attack survivors. He emphasised on the change that this movie will bring in society.


Baghel, in his Twitter post, wrote that the movie will create awareness about acid attacks which remains a heinous crime committed against women. He urged the people of the state to watch the movie on its release.


The film, based on the story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, also features Vikrant Massey in the lead role alongside Padukone.

On Tuesday, several hashtags like #Boycott Chhapaak and #ISupportDeepika were trending on Twitter after the 34-year-old actor made a political statement by visiting the JNU campus in Delhi. The 'Padmavaat' star was there to express solidarity with students who were attacked by a mob. However, she did not address the gathering.

After her JNU visit, many appreciated her "silent solidarity", but others criticised her for "supporting Leftists", saying it was a promotional stunt ahead of her film's release.