"On the specific question she raised — that the industry is suffering because ticket prices are too high — I must submit that entertainment tax and ticketing are state subjects. There is no point in asking me," the Finance Minister stated.
Bachchan's interjection came while Nirmala Sitharaman was responding to her query on whether the Union Budget 2026 offers any support to the entertainment industry.
Refuting the Samajwadi Party MP's claim, Sitharaman said the Budget has given "sustained attention" to the sector, highlighting measures to strengthen skilling initiatives for content creators, animators, and visual artists.
"Sustained attention has been given. The Budget recognises the animation, visual effects, and content creation economy as a growth engine. Accordingly, support has been announced: the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies will help in skilling and setting up content-creator labs in 1,500 schools across the country. Two million professionals will be created by 2030. Content creation is a highly skilled sector," she said.
Sitharaman also announced new branches of the National Institute of Design (NID) to address skill shortages in design, costumes, sets, and visual aesthetics.
Highlighting government outreach, she cited the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 held in Mumbai as evidence of support for the industry.
"We held WAVES 2025. It was a global industry platform. Over 90 countries participated. More than 10,000 delegates attended. Thousands of creators and over 300 companies took part. Are these not efforts towards supporting the entertainment industry?" she added.
