kochi l saturday l september 20, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Hindi film Homebound is India’s official entry for 2026 Oscars 24 films were in the race to represent India A total of 24 films in different languages were in contention for representing the country at the Oscars, selection committee chairperson N Chandra said. Homebound tells the story of two childhood friends from a small north Indian village who chase a police job. The film, backed by Martin Scorsese, stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor The film by Neeraj Ghaywan is India’s official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category ■ May 21 Homebound to hit theatres on Sep 26 ■ ■ Stranger Eyes (Singapore), Things You Kill (Canada) and The Secret Agent (Brazil) are among others vying to enter the 15-strong shortlist Last year, India’s entry Laapataa Ladies failed to make the cut, leading to the Film Federation of India facing criticism over the choice Homebound will release in theatres in India on September 26 when homebound premiered at the 78th cannes film festival in France CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Advance Tax Collections Corporate tax *Noncorporate tax All figures in H crore 3,31,844.88 6.11% 3,52,128.60 1,04,410.94 96,783.94 Mahindra joins Maruti in price cuts after GST rationalisation, adds benefits totalling `2.56 lakh -7.3% A r s h a d K h a n @ New Delhi FY 2024-25 (as on 17.09.2024) FY 2025-26 (as on 17.09.2025) *Includes advance tax paid by individuals, HUFs, firms, local authorities, etc Kochi chosen for Messi’s November date E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kochi The suspense is finally over. Kochi has been officially chosen as the venue for Lionel Messi and Argentina’s much-awaited visit to Kerala this November. The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kaloor, the state’s premier sporting venue, will stage the inter national friendly, bringing the World Cup-winning squad before the state’s passionate fans. The decision settles weeks of speculation as Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield Stadium was initially considered for the match. But with the Karyavattom ground primarily used for cricket and carrying active pitches, doubts over its suitability persisted. Kaloor stadium, on the other hand, is a FIFA-standard facility with a 40,000 seating capacity, the home ground of Kerala Blasters, and a venue that has already hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017. “Kochi is officially getting ready to host this festival,” confirmed GCDA chairperson K Chandran Pillai, adding that preparations at the stadium will begin immediately . Industries Minister P Rajeeve, in a Facebook post, called it a historic opportunity “After a long wait, foot. ball lovers here will see Messi and his team in action. Kochi will receive them with unprecedented warmth, and the world will be watching,” he said, noting that the event could help pitch Kochi as a global sports ● More on P4 hub.  price war vrooms Corp tax mop-up rises, individual collections drop Higher income tax exemption limit brings down personal advance tax collections D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi Advance personal income tax collections for FY26 fell 7.3% to `96,784 crore as of September 17, compared to `1,04,411 crore in the same period last fiscal. The decline is attributed to the higher income tax exemption threshold—raised from `7 lakh to `12 lakh in this year’s Budget—and the revised tax slabs. In contrast, corporate advance tax collections grew 6.11% to `3,52,129 crore. Consequently total advance tax collections reg, istered a modest 2.9% growth to `4,48,913 crore. “The drop in advance tax collection is primarily because of slab changes, and due to lower tax liabilities for salaried individuals,” said Riyaz Thingna, tax partner, Grant Thornton Bharat. He noted that some of the shortfall could be made up by October-end, when individuals with business income file returns and pay self-assessment tax. Non-corporate Despite the dip in advance personal tax, overadvance taxes all direct tax collections remain buoyant. Net fell 7% due to direct tax collections (after refunds) rose 9.18% tax reliefs year-on-year to `10,82,579 crore, against `9,91,512 Vivek Jalan, crore in FY24-25. Net corporate tax collections partner, Tax increased 4.93% to `4,72,297 crore, while net Connect Advisory personal income tax collections surged 13.67% Services to `5,83,685 crore. Securities transaction tax was largely flat at `26,306 crore. A key driver of this growth was a steep fall in refunds—down 24% to `1,60,527 crore from `2,10,858 crore last year—reflecting tighter scrutiny of claims and quicker assessments. “Non-corporate advance taxes have declined by around 7% due to massive tax reliefs in FY26,” said Vivek Jalan, partner, Tax Connect Advisory Services. “At the same time, stricter monitoring of deductions and enhanced disclosures in ITRs led to refunds falling to nearly a third of last year’s level.” Price wars among automakers have intensified following the government’s decision to slash GST rates. A day after Maruti Suzuki cut prices by up to 24%, leading SUV manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) announced revised ex-showroom prices incorporating the GST reduction, along with additional benefits of up to `1.29 lakh on its petrol and diesel vehicles. The combined impact of the GST cut and additional benefits will allow customers to save up to `2.56 lakh, M&M said. Bolero Neo leads the line-up with a maximum total benefit of `2.56 lakh, comprising a `1.27 lakh reduction in ex-showroom price and additional benefits worth `1.29 lakh. The popular subcompact SUV, the XUV3XO, follows closely with total savings of `2.46 lakh. Among larger SUV models, the XUV700, Scorpio-N, and Scorpio Classic offer total benefits ranging between `1.96 lakh and `2.24 lakh. Meanwhile, the Thar and Thar ROXX receive total benefits of `1.55 lakh and `1.53 lakh, respectively . The price cut, over and above the GST benefit, is expected to boost competitiveness in the market, giving buyers a wider choice bracket. M&M’s pricing moves also reflect carmakers’ strategies to retain strong positioning in India’s growing SUV segment, especially as the country’s largest player, Maruti Suzuki, targets leadership in the high-volume, midsize SUV space with the launch of its Victoris model. The additional incentives come at a time when the indus- try is burdened with high inventory as vehicle sales slowed sharply since mid-August following reports of an overhaul in the GST rate structure. Puneet Gupta, director for India and ASEAN Auto Markets at S&P Global Mobility said the on, going discounts are a result of the cess component being removed after September 22. “Cess, which is around 20% for large SUVs, will no longer apply under GST 2.0. However, dealers have already paid this amount and are facing potential losses. To mitigate the impact, they are working with OEMs to offer discounts and clear inventory he explained. Gupta add,” ed Maruti Suzuki’s decision to cut prices would fuel sales in the struggling mini car segment as buyers looking to upgrade from two-wheeler to fourwheeler will look to cash in on the discounts. In a key step towards mending diplomatic ties, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held bilateral security consultations with his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin in New Delhi on Thursday . The high-level dialogue comes nearly two years after diplomatic relations between the two nations were rocked by Canadian allegations over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Doval and Drouin’s meeting is also seen as a follow-up to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadi- The much-anticipated Global Ayyappa Sangamam, being organised as a mega event to make Sabarimala a global pilgrim destination, is unlikely to have many prominent national-international dignitaries turning up. Despite Travancore Devaswom Board extending invites to five Union ministers, chief ministers of all South Indian states, Maharashtra and Goa, only Tamil Nadu responded favourably With the meet snow. balling into a political controversy, most state governments have turned down the invite. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the event at Pampa on Saturday . TDB president P S Prasanth said TN has confirmed its participation. P K Sekar Babu, Minister of Hindu Religious The venue of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam in Pampa | shaji vettipuram and Charitable Endowments Department, and Palanivel Thiagarajan, IT Minister, are expected to attend the event. On the eve of the Sangamam, the TDB and the state government received yet another setback with the Aikya Mala Araya Maha Sabha, an organisation representing the Mala Araya tribal community decid, ing to stay away from the event. P K Sajeev, general secretary of the Sabha, said the decision is in the wake of the state government’s indifference to their request for discussions on reinstating traditional rights of the Mala Araya community at the shrine. On Wednesday the Pandalam , Palace, which has ritualistic links with the shrine, had issued a statement that it will not send a representative to the meet, owing to the death of a family member. In the statement, the palace managing an Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis this June. “This is part of the regular bilateral security consultations that happen between the two countries,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing on Friday . The talks took place against the backdrop of renewed threats from the US-based Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which announced a “siege” outside the Indian Consulate in Vancouver on September 18. The group circulated threatening posters targeting India’s new High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, sparking fresh concerns. “As and when there is a concern, we do take it up with the concerned side, in this case Canada, to ensure there is adequate security for our diplomatic premises,” Randhir Jaiswal said. Zubeen Garg of ‘Ya Ali’ fame dies in Singapore scuba diving accident Z ubeen Garg, the 52-year-old cultural icon of Assam and a hear tthrob of the younger generation, passed away on Friday in Singapore, leaving behind a rich legacy . Known for his superlative rendition of ‘Ya Ali’ and countless other hits, Garg remained a multifaceted talent — a singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, music director, actor, film producer, director, screenwriter, and philanthropist — who captured hearts across Assam, Bengal, and beyond. While in Singapore to attend the 4th Northeast India Festival, Garg suffered breathing difficulties during a private scuba diving excursion not linked to the festival. Zubeen Garg 18 Nov 1972 - 19 Sept 2025 Bolero Neo L2.56 l XUV 3XO L2.46 l XUV 700 L2.24 l Scorpio N L2.15 l Scorpio Classic L1.96 l Thar L1.55 l Thar ROXX  L1.53 l * showroom discounts + additional benefits Yogi extends wishes to Ayyappa Sangamam M S V i d ya n a n d a n @ T’Puram northeast’s own P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati Bolero Neo leads the line-up with a maximum total benefit of D2.56 lakh* Ayyappa meet: Bigwigs likely to stay away Khalistan-point figures in India, Canada high-level dialogue J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Fat savings “We received a call from Zubeen’s manager informing us that he had met with an accident and had been rushed to Singapore General Hospital,” said Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief organiser of the festival, in a statement. “We later learned that a few members of the local Assamese community had taken him on a yacht visit, of which we had no prior knowledge. This is a mon- umental loss,” the statement read. Born Zubeen Borthakur on November 18, 1972, Garg mostly sang in Assamese, Bengali and Hindi-language film and music industries. His mother Ily Borthakur was a singer while his father Mohini Mohan Garg was a music enthusiast. He is survived by his wife Garima Saikia, a fashion designer. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among scores of leaders who mourned his passing. “Shocked by the sudden demise of popular singer Zubeen Garg. He will be remembered for his rich contribution to music,” the PM posted on X. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Assam lost one of its favourite sons. “I am at a loss for words to describe what Zubeen meant for Assam. He has gone too early .” T’Puram: Even as the state unit of the BJP has been voicing its opposition against the Global Ayyappa Sangamam, the meet has received an endorsement from UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He has extended his greetings to the meet, while replying to an invite from the government. P4 committee criticised the government for not withdrawing police cases against the devotees who participated in the protests against entry of women into Sabarimala. “The palace had demanded withdrawal of cases registered against devotees. The government and devaswom boards should honour and work towards conserving temple customs and beliefs. Decisions otherwise cannot be accepted,” it stated. ● More on P4 express read HC to lift toll ban, but with some conditions Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday said it would lift the ban on toll collection at the Paliyekkara plaza on September 22, but under certain conditions. The court also directed the NHAI and Guruvayur Infrastructure Pvt Ltd (GIPL) to produce the latest order revising toll rates at Paliyekkara. P5 IUML not to attend govt’s Vikasana Sadas Kozhikode: The UDF, especially Congress, saved itself from an embarrassing situation by forcing the IUML to withdraw its earlier decision to participate in the ‘Vikasana Sadas’ being organised by the LDF government with the aim of taking the development projects it initiated in the past nine years to the people. P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of kochi Express