Nag Ashwin Requests PM Modi for Lower GST on Cinema Tickets
Welcoming the NDA government’s announcement of a simplified two-slab GST system, the Mahanati filmmaker stressed the need to extend the 5% GST to tickets priced up to ₹250.
Kalki 2898 AD director Nag Ashwin has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring cinema ticket prices under the lowest GST slab, seeking relief for the film industry in the wake of the latest GST reforms.
Welcoming the NDA government’s announcement of a simplified two-slab GST system, the Mahanati filmmaker stressed the need to extend the 5% GST to tickets priced up to ₹250. “The GST reforms are very welcome, sir. It would be great if the 5% slab could be extended to movie tickets up to ₹250 at least. Very few theaters nowadays charge ₹100, and for our industry and theaters to grow while keeping the middle-class audience engaged, this is very much needed, sir,” Ashwin wrote.
Current GST Structure (Effective September 22, 2025):
Tickets priced up to ₹100: GST reduced from 12% to 5%
Tickets priced above ₹100: GST remains at 18%
Meanwhile, Nag Ashwin is preparing for his ambitious sequel Kalki 2. The project will go on floors later this year after aligning dates of its stellar cast—Prabhas, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, and Amitabh Bachchan.
The director has confirmed that pre-production work is already underway, but the film will take some time to begin shooting.
