Chhaava Box Office Collection: Despite Tax-Free Status, Audience Feels the Pinch

By Sharad Rai

Chhaava Box Office Collection: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, and Akshay Khanna’s film Chhaava has made a major impact at the box office. Directed by Laxman Utekar, this film has been creating waves in city after city with a message of success. The symbolic saffron flag of the film is now flying high across cinemas in almost every city in Maharashtra. Positive reports are pouring in from Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, and Bhopal, with cinema halls packed to 75–85% capacity.

The film's box office collection tells the story of its massive success, with Chhawa earning 100 crores in just 3 days and 197.75 crores in 6 days. In less than a week, the movie is on track to cross the 200-crore mark. Notably, the film's production cost is only 132 crores, which means the producers are already in a profitable position.

Chhaava Tax-Free in BJP States? Maharashtra Considers

Chhaava is based on the life of the Hindu warrior, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's son, Maharaj Sambhaji. With the prevailing sentiment of Hindu pride and the week of Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary, many state governments are considering making Chhaava tax-free. Especially, BJP-led states are eager to claim the credit for this decision. Both Madhya Pradesh and Goa have already made the film tax-free, and Maharashtra is also considering the move. Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, even urged people to watch the film without having seen it himself. The state has long regarded Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj as symbols of regional pride.

Chhaava Movie Controversy: Mumbai Theater Vandalized

There has also been an incident of vandalism at a PVR Cinemas theater in Mumbai’s Parel, where the film couldn’t be played due to technical reasons. The audience, eager to watch the portrayal of Sambhaji, started protesting. As a result, under pressure from Shiv Sena and other political figures, the theater owner announced a free screening as compensation and refunded the audience four times their ticket cost. This has created a craze around Chhaava and may lead to more such incidents as the film’s popularity continues to grow.

Chhaava Cast Shines: Vicky, Rashmika & Akshay Praised

In Chhaava, Vicky Kaushal has given his all to portray the character of Sambhaji Maharaj, earning applause from the entire film industry. Rashmika Mandanna plays Yesubai Bhosale, and Akshay Khanna takes on the negative role of Aurangzeb. Diana Penty plays Zeenat-un-Nisa Begum, and Divya Dutta portrays Soyra Bai. Ashutosh Rana is seen in the role of Hambhi Mohite. The film’s balanced performances and portrayal of characters have received widespread praise. As a result, no one has raised any objections to the film being made tax-free.

Chhaava Tax-Free: Does It Really Lower Ticket Prices?

While Chhaava has been made tax-free in several states, it doesn’t offer much relief to the audience in terms of ticket prices. Before the introduction of GST, ticket pricing had a more noticeable impact on cinema attendance. Now, cinema-goers have to pay both CGST (Central GST) and SGST (State GST) on tickets. Although state governments can reduce the SGST, the CGST still has to be paid by the audience. For tickets priced above 100 rupees, the CGST rate is 18%, and for those below 100 rupees, it's 9%. Since most multiplexes charge ticket prices higher than 100 rupees, the tax-free status doesn’t significantly ease the burden on moviegoers. Nevertheless, the fact that people are still going to the theaters to watch the film is a testament to its merit.

In the states where Chhaava has been made tax-free or is on the verge of becoming tax-free, its success can still be attributed to the film’s merit. Tax-free status doesn’t drastically lighten the audience's financial burden. Nonetheless, Chhaava has already crossed its production costs and continues its victorious journey at the box office.