Rajinikanth's "Lingaa" has been criticised and trolled by people on social networking sites, apart from reports that it was not performing well at many centres.
However, here is report, which proves that the performance of "Lingaa" is not as bad as it is projected. The Commercial Tax Department conducted raid on many cinema halls in Bengaluru a few days ago and discovered that exhibitors were giving out false information about collections to evade tax.
An undercover operation was conducted by 33 sleuths from the Commercial Tax Department when they visited 33 cinema halls and observed 150 shows in Bengaluru. What they found was shocking, the exhibitors failed to reveal the actual figures and registered false details in their DCR (Daily Collection Register).
"The investigation was carried out based on inputs that theatres didn't show the actual number of audience members and ticket sales in their DCRs. Lingaa was chosen and undercover operations were carried out wherein the DCRs were examined with the actual number of audience present. Our officials have tapped Rs45 lakh in revenue," DK Ravi, a member of the undercover team, told Bangalore Mirror.
"Lingaa" has been running into packed houses in many theatres but the exhibitors declared that the movie was not pulling audience into the theatres to save on taxes. The undercover operation also discovered that in some cases, exhibitors were accurate on the turnout but the prices at which they sold the tickets were different from the prices registered in their DCRs.
The theatres have been fined between ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 for evading tax and providing false information to the Commercial Tax Department.
Traders are now claiming that it could be the same case in many circuits where exhibitors, in order to evade tax, might have declared the movie to be a flop.
However, "Lingaa", which has completed two weeks of its release, is having around 40 shows in Bengaluru. The movie is doing good business in the Garden City and has earned above ₹10 crore here.
