A delegation of Bollywood producers and actors such as Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and Karan Johar called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a one-day visit to Maharashtra, at Raj Bhavan here to discuss the issues being faced by the Indian film industry.
The delegation also included prominent film producers such as Ritesh Sidhwani, Siddharth Roy Kapur, the president of the Film Producers Guild,Rakesh Roshan, Ronnie Screwvala, Vijay Singh – CEO – Fox Star Studios and Prasoon Joshi, the chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The team from the film fraternity gave an overview of the vast growth potential of the media and entertainment industry. They also pitched for lower and uniform rates of GST for the entertainment industry in India, a statement issued by PIB said.
The Prime Minister said that the Indian entertainment industry enjoys immense popularity across the world. It is one of the key elements of India's rising soft power status, globally, he added.
He assured the delegation that the Union Government is supportive of the media and entertainment industry, and would consider the suggestions positively.
Modi said, "Had an extensive and fruitful interaction with a delegation from the film and entertainment industry. The delegation spoke about the studies being made by the film and entertainment industry, and gave valuable inputs relating to GST for their sector."
Members of the delegation also called for the development of Mumbai as the global entertainment capital through various initiatives and proactive approaches.
according to the industry sources, urged the prime minister to look towards treating cinema as an "industry" by acknowledging its contribution to the nation's exchequer and fiscal growth, and in promoting bilateral ties between nations as a global cultural ambassador.
"It was a collaborative effort to come forward, address issues and seek solutions from the Prime Minister directly," the insiders said, adding that the PM "acknowledged that our films are being recognized internationally and agreed that filmmakers are no less important than nation-builders".
"He has assured the delegation that he will personally work towards setting up a special committee to look into the industry matters and address them urgently," sources said, adding that it was a "productive meeting with a positive outcome."