A local BJP leader demanded on Monday that the just-released Hindi film Uri: The Surgical Strike be made tax-free across the country.

The leader has made the demand in a letter written to Union information and broadcasting minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

"The movie inspires youth for service (of the nation) and sacrifice. It should be tax-free so that more people can watch it," he said.

 

"The movie should be shown in schools and colleges as well as on TV," the BJP leader said in the letter.

According to trade aggregator Box Office India, Uri had a “miracle second Monday” as it earned an estimated Rs 7 crore. The website said this means there has been only a 20% dip from Uri’s first show till now. This has brought Uri’s domestic box office collection to an estimated Rs 115.7 crore.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh also tweeted Uri’s international box office performance, “#UriTheSurgicalStrike is a SMASH-HIT Overseas... Crosses $ 3 mn after Weekend 2... Total till 20 Jan 2019: $ 3,094,132 [₹ 22.04 cr]... Breakup: USA+Canada: $ 1.693 mn UAE+GCC: $ 709k Australia: $ 334k UK: $ 149k Singapore: $ 108k NZ: $ 62k South+East Africa: $ 26k Fiji: $ 10k.”

Uri is the first movie starring Vicky Kaushal as a solo lead. The film has entered Rs 100 crore club. Vicky recently told Mid-Day, “A hero cannot make a film hit. Movies are made with the team effort. I credit Aditya Dhar (director) and Ronnie Screwvala (producer) for their conviction. A film can turn an actor into a star, but a star can’t guarantee a great film on his own.”

The film, which hit the screens on January 11, is based on the September 2016 Indian Army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan as a retaliation for a militant attack in Uri town of Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 17 army personnel.

With its place in Rs 100 crore club, Uri is not only the biggest hit of 2019, it is also the first Bollywood release of the year.

(Inputs from PTI)