West Bengal grants tax exemption to upcoming mythological epic Ramayana: Part 1

State Tax Exemption

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the upcoming Hindi-language film Ramayana: Part 1 will be exempt from entertainment tax in the state. During an interview with the news agency ANI, the Chief Minister linked this decision to similar exemptions for movies like The Kerala Story, The Kashmir Files, and The Bengal Files. He also hinted that future cinematic projects based on the Mahabharata, alongside stories of Shri Krishna and Arjuna, could receive similar government support.

Cast and Crew

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, who co-wrote the screenplay with Shridhar Raghavan, the movie is the first installment of a two-part cinematic adaptation of the ancient Sanskrit epic by Valmiki. Ranbir Kapoor leads the cast as Lord Rama, while Sai Pallavi plays Sita. Kannada actor Yash, known from the K.G.F series, stars as Ravana, and Ravi Dubey portrays Lakshmana. The extensive supporting cast features Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, Anupam Kher as Maharishi Vashistha, Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari, Rakul Preet Singh as Surpanakha, Vivek Oberoi as Meghnada, and Kunal Kapoor as Lord Indra.

Production Details

Additional cast members include Adinath Kothare as Bharata, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, and Indira Krishnan as Kausalya. Arun Govil, famous for playing Lord Rama in the 1987 television series created by Ramanand Sagar, joins the ensemble as King Dasharatha. Producer Namit Malhotra, linked with the visual effects firm DNEG, and co-producer Yash are backing the large-scale production. Music for the project is composed jointly by A. R. Rahman and German composer Hans Zimmer.

Context

State governments in India occasionally waive entertainment taxes for specific films to encourage public viewing of projects deemed to have cultural, historical, or social importance. Such exemptions typically reduce ticket prices for moviegoers, which can help boost box office collections and wider audience reach in that region.