West Bengal has granted tax-free status to Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part Ramayana ahead of its Diwali release. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the decision at Dussehra celebrations at Central Park in Kolkata, with actors Ranbir Kapoor and Yash present.
Adhikari told ANI that the film joins titles the state has already granted the same status, including The Kerala Story, The Kashmir Files, and The Bengal Files. “The Ramayana film has been made tax-free,” he said.
That list is itself part of the story: in West Bengal, tax-free status has become a visible part of how a film’s release is framed, not only a post-release reward.
Why the waiver matters
A state tax waiver lowers the effective ticket price for audiences and gives a film a competitive advantage in a major theatrical market. For a two-part epic built on scale, the move signals official support and can widen the audience beyond the film’s core base during the festive window.
The announcement also reflects how mythology is being positioned as event cinema. Adhikari said audiences would see films on Shri Krishna, Arjuna, and the Mahabharata in the future. Producer Namit Malhotra has already announced a Ramayana Cinematic Universe, with a standalone Hanuman film reportedly led by Sunny Deol.
The expanding Ramayana slate
- The film: Nitesh Tiwari directs a two-part epic with Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman.
- The universe: A Hanuman film is planned, along with character spin-offs on Surpanakha, Jatayu, Indrajit, and Angad.
- The moment: The waiver arrived during Dussehra, a festival built around the victory of good over evil.
Ranbir Kapoor connected the occasion to the film’s theme. “Dussehra reminds us of a very beautiful thing: no matter how powerful evil may be, ultimately, truth and goodness triumph,” he told the gathering. Yash, who plays Ravana, recalled that his theatre journey began in Kolkata around 2004-2005, before returning as a film actor.
For Hindi cinema’s audience and its exhibitors, the Bengal decision is one more signal that Ramayana will be treated less like a routine release and more like a cultural event — with state support now part of its rollout.
The immediate question is whether other states follow West Bengal’s lead and how strongly Bengal’s advance bookings respond once the waiver is reflected at the ticket window.
Source: The Times of India
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