'Manjhi - The Mountain Man' made tax free in Bihar

The Bihar government on Thursday announced that "Manjhi - The Mountain Man", an upcoming Indian biopic based on the life of 'Mountain Man' Dashrath Manjhi, will be exempted from tax in the state. The idea is to get the maximum number of people to watch it, officials said.

"The Bihar cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday took the decision that no entertainment tax would be taken for the exhibition of the Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer movie 'Manjhi - The Mountain Man' in theatres across the state," Cabinet Coordination Department Principal Secretary Shishir Kumar Sinha said.

According to Sinha, the state cabinet took the decision as the movie is based on the life of real hero Manjhi, whose inspirational story tells that a person can do the hardest work with determination even when resources are scarce. It encourages the viewers to see human life in the right perspective and inspires them as well as society.

The Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer, directed by Ketan Mehta, is a biopic on Manjhi, a resident of Gehlaur village in Atri block of Gaya district in Bihar.

The 'Mountain Man' had, single-handedly, cut through a hill to make a road for his village. Working day and night, Manjhi had carved out a passage with a hammer and a chisel. Manjhi had taken up the uphill task after his wife was injured and he had to take a long detour around the hills to reach the nearest hospital.

Manjhi, who died in 2007 in his early 80s, also wanted to develop his native village so that it had all the basic facilities -- but that was a dream which remained unfulfilled in his lifetime, and later.