MUMBAI: The cast and crew of ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ must be extremely happy. They’ve got both critical acclaim and commercial success last week and now they’re even got a tax exemption from the Maharashtra Government.

Farhan Akhtar and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra met Balasaheb Thorat, the Revenue Minister in the week to discuss a tax exemption for ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ as it was a film based on positive values of courage, resilience and patriotism as it was a biopic on one of India’s best athletes Milkha Singh.

Of course, it has been just a couple of days since the crew met with the authorities and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ has already been granted tax-free status. An elated but surprised Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says, “We anticipated a tax exemption. But the fact that the Maharashtra government acted so speedily is very heartening. The film would now be accessible to those middle-class Indians who cannot afford the ticket prices at multiplexes. That thought makes me very happy.”

Farhan Akhtar, who received a lot of praise for portraying Milkha Singh in the film, said, “I am extremely grateful to the Chief Minister and Revenue Minister of Maharashtra for their support in this regard. They’ve ensured that Milkhaji’s inspiring life would now be accessible to many more citizens in Maharashtra.”

Of course the filmmaker and actor are expecting that the other states follow suit and grant tax exemption to ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. This is obviously a big step for the film which looks to scale many mountains and overcome many obstacles, just like Milkha Singh’s character in the film did.