Akshay Kumar’s latest release Mission Mangal has been declared tax-free in Maharashtra. Super 30, Hrithik Roshan’s biopic on maths whiz Anand Kumar, was the last Bollywood film to be deemed tax-free in several states including Maharashtra, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Directed by Jagan Shakti and produced by R Balki, Mission Mangal is inspired by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Mars Orbiter Mission, aka Mangalyaan, which was launched in 2013. The film, which also stars Taapsee Pannu, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Nithya Menen and Kirti Kulhari, has had a roaring run at the box office, having earned Rs 168.48 crores in two weeks since its release on 15 August.
Mission Mangal earned Rs 29.16 crore on its first day, surpassing Akshay’s last Independence Day release Gold (Rs 25.25 crore) to become his highest opener till date, and crossed the Rs 100 crore mark by day 5. Speaking to the media about the success of the film, Akshay said, “Our aim to make the film was to make science very simple. Even I didn’t know about this but the story was so systematic, I understood it. Children are watching the film, dragging their parents who are then realising even they didn’t know what kind of things go on to send a satellite on Mars.”
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