Rajkumar Hirani breaks silence on USA slapping 100% tariffs on foreign films

Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS) Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, who last directed ‘Dunki’ has spoken up on the USA imposing 100% tariffs on films made outside of the US.

The director attended the 'Merchants Chamber of Commerce & Industry' special session on ‘The Role of Film and storytelling in Business and Industry’ at a private hotel in Kolkata.

Around 40-50% of the revenue for the Indian cinema comes from overseas, and the United States.

When he was asked how much of this kind of a decision by a government where a lot of Indian films are released almost every week will impact the entire dynamics of production companies or distributors in India, he said, “See, right now there is no clarity on this statement, to be honest with you. It is pretty much up in the air. This is not new either. This came a month or two months back as well”.

“And when you ask within this industry, nobody has any clarity. The producers, nobody really knows what this means. And we have not seen any implications as of now. So unless there is some clarity, it's very difficult to really comment on it”, he added.

Earlier, President of the USA, Donald Trump announced his intention to slap a 100 % tariff on movies produced outside the United States, saying foreign incentives were “stealing” America’s film industry. He framed it as a protectionist measure to revive domestic film jobs and guard against perceived unfair competition.

The proposal has stirred controversy as legal experts doubt whether a president has authority to impose tariffs on films, intellectual property and digital services, without Congress's backing.

Industry insiders have warned that it could backfire by raising costs, undermining global collaborations, and provoking retaliation from other countries. The White House, for now, says no final decision has been taken, and the details remain vague.

--IANS

aa/