Tamil film tiles under Government scanner

The Tamil Nadu Government has decided to bring under close scrutiny titles of Tamil films while considering claims for the tax waiver.

Earlier last year the Government passed an order that films made in Tamil should be given only Tamil titles to be eligible for the concession.

In an official press release (March 4), the Government has declared that films which fail to follow the norms laid down in this regard would not be granted the exemption.

The order of 2007 was followed by protests from Tamil protagonists, various organizations and political parties.

The Government has observed that though the growing trend of giving English titles has since been arrested, film-makers are not really serving the cause of Tamil and have adopted ways to circumvent the norms laid down for the tax waiver.

They use either the names of individuals or places or dialectal words in titles contrary to the spirit of the order. This makes a mockery of the Government's intention and defeats the very purpose of extending the concession, it is noted.

As film-makers applying for the tax exemption have also become increasingly assertive giving rise to problems, the Government has stated categorically that the claims of only those film-makers who give titles in keeping with the letter and spirit of the order will be entertained.