Bollywood anxiously hopes Budget 2006-07

Bollywood is anxously waiting for the upcoming budget and is hoping that this time the government will grant them due which they deserve for long. The film industry is expecting concession on various taxes and policies of the Goverment.

Analysts feel that the Hindi film industry is going through the boom period and this is the time when the film industry needs the maximum support and the backing of the Government.

"There are so many factors that the Government can look into, reduce our burden and so many things. In terms of taxes mainly, I think that will really come as God sent opportunity because if the arithmetic of film making goes haywire, then I think nothing can save the film industry from collapsing. If the Government really gives us these benefits, I think that would really make a lot of difference,"said film director Suneel Darshan.

Darshan said that Bollywood would be sending a team of representatives to meet Finance Minister P.Chidambaram to lobby for the film Industry. The team, he said, would give their suggestions, and then it would be up to Chidambaram to accept or not to accept it.

"I sincerely request and would really appreciate if the Government does have a sympathetic attitude towards the film industry, because we are going through major crisis currently. Where is this rampant piracy and excessive taxes all going.To be very honest, it is not very feasable to pay taxes on a film to the cinema hall when they can wach it free in pirated CDs," said Darshan.

Definitely the film industry should benefit because if it faces a crisis, no film can run," said film director Madhur Bhandarkar.

"Last year, the finance minister said 'Main Hoon Na' and lots of paper work. We had to do for everything, Contract pay, tax pay. I wish it would be bit easier not so much paper work," added noted choreographer and upcoming film director Farah Khan.

The potential growth of Indian Film Industry is huge even though the Indian industry is already the world's largest producer of films with some 1,000 annually, according to a 2005 report by the Confederation of Indian Industry and accounting giant KPMG.