Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Jaya Bachchan speaks photo credit in Rajya Sabha during the budget session in New Delhi: Annie

Samajwadi Party member Jaya Bachchan on Tuesday urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitarman to offer a proposal to “mercy” in the film industry and help it survive.

Speaking during a general discussion on the Union Budget 2025-26 in the Rajya Sabha, the actor-royalty accused the government of trying the film industry. He said that the existence of daily wage workers had become difficult and single-screen theaters were closing as people were not going to the film hall due to rising costs.

“One industry has been completely ignored by you, and previous governments were also doing the same thing. But today, you have taken it to the next level. You have completely ignored the film and entertainment industry because you only use them for your objectives, ”Bachchan said.

“Today, all single-screen theater are closing, except GST. People are not going to the movie hall because everything has become so expensive. Perhaps you want to kill this industry completely. It is the only industry that connects the whole world to India, ”he said.

He appealed for “mercy” for the country’s audio-visual industry and alleged that cinema was being wrongly targeted.

“I am speaking on behalf of my film industry and requesting this house on behalf of the audio-visual industry: please leave them. Please do something for them. You are trying to kill this industry – please do not do so. Today, you have also started targeting cinema, ”Bachchan said.

He urged Sitarman to consider the issue that “very, very seriously,” emphasizing that the film industry is difficult to maintain.

“I request the Finance Minister to consider the matter and present measures to help the industry survive,” he said.

Participating in the debate, KR Suresh Reddy of BRS appreciated the government for providing income tax relief to individual taxpayers.

BJP’s Arun Singh highlighted that the allocation for healthcare had been almost three times from ₹ 37,000 crore under the Congress -led UPA government. He appreciated the increase in the limits of Kisan Credit Card from ₹ 3 lakh to ₹ 5 lakh.