Exemption of tax for ‘Spirit’ is illegitimate

The entertainment tax exemption for Malayalam film 'Spirit' is illegitimate. The foremost reason for this illicit act is: the Forest Minister Ganesh Kumar acts in the film as a channel executive. The Minister who exempted tax for this film is Social Welfare Minister Muneer , who is also the chief executive of a channel. Muneer needs to project that all channel heads are uncorrupt persons like the one enacted by Ganesh Kumar in the film. The director of the film Ranjith is not only a crafty script writer but a lobbyist too. Has one any doubt about this  ask P C Vishnunadh MLA who moved vociferously for the tax exemption.

The film does not create any awareness on any social issue but only teaches people how to drink variety liquor with and without water.  The use of European closet for new drunkards also has been  illustrated in the film. It  is intended to convey the idea to the outside world that all Keralites are drunkards and their way of life is awfully deplorable. The happy get-together similar to that of the male protagonist in the film with his ex-wife and her good husband is seen only in America and  in Kerala!. The male chauvinistic dialogue of lead character to his ex-wife that “ if drunk I would have raped you” is  highly obnoxious and is a direct insult to womanhood. The director owes a public apology for this loathsome dailogue.

Director Ranjith knows the “Gandhi” film does not make any one Gandhi. Like-wise an addict would never become a de-addict by seeing his film. Shivering of body of an addict stops when he gets his daily intake, however in this film the addicted hero stops shivering when hr cuts the  intake. The director has craftily insulted   the caring policy of the government by sub-titling “liquor consumption is injurious to health” all through the length of the film. The veteran film actor Madhu also has been insulted in the film with his hateful role as a voluptuous old goose.

The UDF government has no tangible steps to contain wide-spread liquor consumption. They have only cosmetics treatments like granting tax exemption for a repulsive movie of the sort like “Spirit” while they permit abkaris to open more and more liquor shops.  Minister Muneer and other UDF leaders congratulating the film crew of “Spirit” shows that they are humble human beings incapable of accepting the craftiness of shrewd abkaris and their sponsors like the crew of the film.

The Opposition LDF is also likely to say “Sprit” is a value oriented film because abkaris are dearer to them also. No doubt the drinking habits of people of Kerala would change and they search for variety brands if this film is viewed critically.   

K A Solaman


Published Deccan Chronicle on 6 July 2012