Anil Sharma, Manish Gupta react to Trump`s new tariff on foreign films

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced that the country will be imposing a 100 per cent tariff on movies made outside the United States. The President revealed his plan in a series of posts on Truth Social, claiming that America’s film industry has been undermined by international productions. "California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit! Therefore, in order to solve this long-time, never-ending problem, I will be imposing a 100 per cent tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States," Trump wrote.

Indian filmmakers on new tariff

Indian filmmakers have largely criticized the move, while some await clarity on the new tariff imposition. Filmmaker Anil Sharma, who is known for making films like Apne, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, and The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, said it is difficult to comment until guidelines are set for the tariff. "His focus might be on American films being shot outside the country rather than in Los Angeles. This could possibly be the reason for the new tariff announcement, but I am not sure if the tariff will be imposed on Indian films screened in the USA. If that happens, it will have a huge impact on our industry. But at the moment it is not right to comment until the guideline is out," he told Mid-day.

Writer and director Manish Gupta, known for films like Section 375 and Rahasya, said that the move is detrimental to Indian cinema. Talking to us, he said, "US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 100 per cent tariff on films made outside the US will be detrimental to Indian films since the US is a huge market for Indian cinema due to the large population of the Indian diaspora settled in the US. I personally and humbly plead with Mr. Donald Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, and the Indian foreign ministry that films made for entertainment must not become part of international politics, because cinema knows no boundaries. We Indians have grown up watching American films, and people in the US enjoy Indian films. Irrespective of political relations or trade policies, the creative harmony between the two countries through cinema should remain steadfast as always."

Tariff could work in our favour

Meanwhile, filmmaker Anurag Basu had a different view. Talking to Zoom, he said, "Trump`s tariff on Indian movies could be a blessing in disguise. If we reciprocate on Hollywood releases, higher ticket prices for foreign blockbusters here would drive audiences to domestic films, more than offsetting any US losses. Think of it as box-office karma with better exchange rates." The director added that the move could encourage Indians to choose local films, which would benefit the Indian industry in the long term.