AMB Cinemas, owned by Mahesh Babu and operated by Asian Cinemas, was recently reported to have wrongly profiteered Rs 35 lakh in January by charging higher GST on ticket prices. GST on tickets costing more than Rs 100 should be taxed at 18% from January 1. However, AMB Cinemas is said to have charged 28%. In just one month, the multiplex earned more than Rs 35 lakh while the customers paid higher rates due to the wrong tax rate.

The news is that Mahesh has given away the excess Rs 35.66 lakh that AMB Cinemas profiteered to the Consumer Welfare Fund of India.

The GST Commisionerate, Ranga Reddy district, has appreciated the 'Maharshi' actor for this. The GST Commissionerate in a statement appreciated Mahesh and his partner Sunil Narang for being "the first in the entire country to return the additional GST".

The Commisionerate also hopes that the theatres in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore too will follow this example.