Following actor Kamal Haasan’s recent clarion call to the film fraternity to openly speak about corruption in the State government regarding the film industry, actor R. Parthiepan has joined the chorus in speaking about persistent irregularities.
Speaking to a television channel, Mr. Parthiepan said that it was the responsibility of the State government to respond to criticism. “People in the film fraternity fear that if they speak out against the government in power it might affect their films. There is nothing wrong in actors who have a standing in the society speaking about it,” he said.
He also concurred with Mr. Haasan’s allegation that entertainment tax exemptions are obtained by paying bribes to government officials. “The bribes are based on how big the film is. I have been asked to pay bribe, but I haven’t. They often ask, ‘When you are going to make so much money, why can’t you pay up?”
He said that corruption cannot be associated just with the present government. “This has happened with previous governments too. It has happened all along,”Mr. Parthiepan said.