Madhya Pradesh government gives Taapsee Pannu starrer 'Thappad' three-month exemption from SGST

Two days before Taapsee Pannu starrer Thappad releases, the Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday announced a three-month exemption from the State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) for the film, directed by Anubhav Sinha which deals with the issue of domestic violence. According to a report in Hindustan Times, a top official of the Commercial Tax Department said that the film was exempted because of its subject matter and message. 

Therefore, single-screen cinemas and multiplexes have been asked not to collect SGST on tickets of the film. Reports state that at the moment, Thappad carries 18% GST -- SGST and Central Goods and Services Tax at 9% each. In the film, Taapsee plays an upper-middle-class educated woman who is forced to continue in her marriage even after her husband slaps her. 

Speaking about the film, Taapsee, in a recent interview had said, "The film is not just about domestic violence. It is just one trigger. There is a dialogue in the film which says 'I can suddenly see all the unfair things that I did not notice earlier'. So Thappad (slap) is a trigger and suddenly you see these things that were taken for granted in a relationship. We are trying to bring out the elephant in the room. Let's see how many discussions or how many awkward walls of silence there are after people see the film. It is like there is a (separate) to-do list for both women and men that is expected from them in a relationship. Who decided this? Did you just blindly follow what was told to you? It is not a mistake of any one person but of everyone as a society that we are trying to normalize it."