Actor-politician Jaya Bachchan accuses the government of ‘killing’ the film industry. She requests ‘mercy’ from Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman. On Tuesday, the Samajwadi Party member addressed the Rajya Sabha and questioned the Finance Minister regarding the Union Budget 2025. Bachchan claimed that the government is trying to “kill” Bollywood. She accused the government of neglecting the film industry and only using the industry to further its own purpose.

During her address, Jaya Bachchan delivered a passionate speech highlighting the state of the film industry. She took a moment to request attention to the financial concerns of the sector. “One industry has been totally ignored by you, and other governments were also doing the same thing. But today you have taken it to the next level. You have totally ignored the film and entertainment industry because you only use them for serving your own purpose.”

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Continuing, the actress-politician said, “Today, leave aside GST, all the single screens (theatres) are shutting down. People are not going to movie halls because everything has become so costly. Perhaps you want to kill this industry altogether. This the only industry that connects the entire world to India.”

 

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Jaya Bachchan requested the government to have ‘mercy’ on Bollywood instead of making it its target. “I am speaking on behalf of my film industry and making a request to this House on behalf of the audio-visual industry, that please spare them. Please have some mercy for them. You are trying to kill this industry. Please do not do this. Today you have started targeting cinema also. I request the Finance Minister to consider and please bring something to help this industry survive.”

The veteran actress’ address echoes the concerns raised by several stakeholders in the film industry. Apart from staggering entourage costs, the cost of theatre-going is a hot topic of discussion within the industry.

On the work front, her last was ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in key roles. The title also starred Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi in pivotal roles.

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