Telangana Govt. exempts Rudramadevi from entertainment tax

Hyderabad: Filmmaker Gunasekhar’s dream project Rudramadevi that has Anushka Shetty in the lead, on Thursday got exemption from entertainment tax. An assurance to this effect was given by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao when the director called on him a few hours ago.

Mr. Gunasekhar and his family members, accompanied by producer-distributor ‘Dil’ Raju, met Mr. Rao at his camp office and sought tax exemption, and also invited him to watch the film. It is said that Mr. Rao, who responded favourably to the request and thanked him for making a film showcasing the glory of Telangana’s history, promised to see the film once it hit the screens.

Mr. Rao asked Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma to issue a Government Order granting ET exemption as the film was to be released on Friday. The film has Anushka essaying the role of the iconic Queen Rani Rudramadevi of the Kakatiya dynasty. The other lead star is Allu Arjun who plays Gona Ganna Reddy, the ruler of ‘Vaddemani’ under the Kakatiya Queen and who was one of the few who supported Rudramadevi’s selection as the Queen. The Chief Minister is understood to have complimented the filmmaker for choosing the subject of Rani Rudramadevi and asked him to make more such historical films. Mr. Gunasekhar told him that he had spent time, keenly studying the history of the Kakatiyas.

He told the Chief Minister that he had included the Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s Mission Kakatiya, the programme of de-silting tanks that existed during the Kakatiya rule.

Producer-director Allani Sreedhar also, in a release, expressed his gratitude to Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao for exempting the film from entertainment tax.

He said it would go a long way in motivating filmmakers to make films in the backdrop of Telangana’s distinct culture, history and tradition.