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Expressing bewilderment about the state government's new notification asking top producers to submit all
their contracts with stars and technicians for scrutiny, producer-director Rakesh Roshan asks for more time
to get to the bottom of what he sees as an unclear and unreasonable government order.
"It would on some level, make sense to ask for our contracts with the lead stars. But how can we be
expected to submit contracts with the entire crew of supporting cast technicians? There're so hundreds of
people in a film crew!
And that's so much paper work. Are we expected to submit contracts with
all of them before the state government? And pay stamp duty on each and every contract? That sounds
truly impractical and uneconomical. Just think of how much it would push up our production costs.
I suggest we wait and see what the policy is. Even the VAT that was implemented some time ago
hasn't been effective. We really need to get the basics of such state orders right before we can even think
of implementing them."
Interestingly Rakesh Roshan's hero is his son Hrithik Roshan and his music director is his brother Rajesh.
Would he be expected to submit their contract too?
Some of the producers who have apparently been sent the notice are clueless about its content. Ram
Gopal Varma who's totally engrossed in shooting Sholay said he had no idea about the notice. J.P. Dutta
was looking into the post-release problems of Umrao Jaan. And one of the producers wished to consult his
chartered accountant before commenting on the issue.
Monday, November 13, 2006 15:22 IST