MUMBAI: Prior to its release, the John Abraham starrer ‘Madras Cafe’ was under fire for the alleged insensitive portrayal of the Sri Lankan civil war. However, post release, the Shoojit Sircar directorial has garnered critical acclaim to such an extent, that the film’s makers are seriously considering lobbying for a tax-free status for the film.

The last film to be granted a tax-free status in recent times was Farhan Akhtar starrer ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. And now, the team of ‘Madras Cafe’ is quite keen on requesting the government to remove the tax on tickets for their film.

A filmmaker who watched and loved the film, said, “The opening weekend numbers have shown that the audience has loved the film. Word-of-mouth publicity is still pulling crowds to the theatres. A film like this should reach the maximum number of people and if John is requesting a tax-free status for the film, I think he is right in doing so.”

A source added: “‘Madras Cafe’ opens a very important chapter in the history of India. While it was promoted as a film that was based in Sri Lanka, the end result has shown that at the core of it, it is about the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. Also, it makes a statement against violence and terrorism of any kind. Given the content, the film deserves a tax free tag.”

Reportedly, hero John Abraham and director Shoojit Sircar were waiting to see how the audiences reacted to the film, before applying for tax exemption.

John Abraham accepted that he and Sircar were aiming for tax exemption. “Yes, I have been advised to do so. I hope there are positive developments around this.”