HUES OF INDIA AT FILM BAZAAR-2019

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By Pickle  November 28, 2019

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The 2019 edition of Film Bazaar will see participation from 10 states, which seek to promote the endless variety of cultures, landscapes, monuments, and places–spread across India from the lofty, snow-clad Himalayas to the sandy beaches on Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean–as world-class shooting locales for the film industry.

The Film Facilitation Office

The Film Facilitation Office (FFO) set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in NFDC is going all out to ensure that foreign and domestic filmmakers don’t face any hassle while shooting their movies in the country. It acts as a single-window facilitation and clearance mechanism that eases filming in India, as well as endeavouring to create a film-friendly ecosystem and promoting the country as a filming destination. FFO acts as a facilitation point for the foreign producers and production companies along with their Indian Producer/Line Producer in assisting them to get requisite permissions, disseminate information on shooting locations and the facilities available with the Indian film Industry for production/post production and works closely with State Governments in assisting them to set up similar facilities.

MADHYA PRADESH

Winner of Indian government’s national award for the ‘Most film-friendly state’ in 2017, the ‘heart of India’, Madhya Pradesh, offers a wide variety of locales, eliminating the role of a set designer. From famous forts, marble rocks of Bheraghat, to the green hills of Pachmarhi, the options are rich and many. The temples of Khajuraho are UNESCO heritage sites. Other shooting locales include Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks Gwalior, Orchha, Bhopal, Sanchi Stupa, Satpura National Park, and Ujjain. The state offers a number of incentives to establish Film Studio and undertake Filmmaking in the state. Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. runs its own hotels/motels which are available to the film units for film shooting on subsidized rates. Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) is the nodal agency for film shooting clearance, incentives and subsidies in the state.

ODISHA

Odisha is becoming an increasingly popular destination for ‘start, camera, action.’ The Puri Jagannath temple or the chariot-shaped Sun shrine can give modern architecture a run for its money. The Sambalpur waterfalls and the Paradip port mesmerize one, with the confluence of river Mahanadi and the Bay of Bengal, at its backdrop. Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC) is the nodal organization for providing single window clearance for shooting feature films in Odisha. The incentives offered by the state include assistance of Rs. 10 crores to filmmakers for making the first three Hindi or international language films; all feature films produced fully or partly in Odisha are exempted from entertainment tax; and producers of films who utilize the facilities of Kalinga Studio Limited, Film & Television Institute of Odisha and Kalinga Prasad Colour Processing Laboratory are eligible to get incentives in the shape of subsidy. Among popular shooting locales are: Bhubaneshwar, Konark Marine Drive, Puri, Chilika Lake, Chandipur Beach, Hirakud Dam, Bhitarkanika, among many others.

Uttarakhand with beautiful hills of Nainital, Mussoorie’s waterfalls, accompanied by the divine bells at Rishikesh and Badrinath, is the right destination for filmmakers. Action scenes are bound to get racier, if shot at the skiing mountains at Auli and Munsiyari. The animals at Jim Corbett Park too, await their 10 seconds of fame. The state government offers incentives in the form of no entertainment tax for indigenous films, National Centre of Films for Children and Young People (NCYP)-produced children’s films and national and international award-winning films. Any filmmaker can shoot in Uttarakhand without any shooting charge/fees and there are many attractive financial incentives for films made in regional languages/ dialects of Uttarakhand. The Government of Uttarakhand is also focusing on development of a film city at selected location and selection and development of places for outdoor shooting. Among the popular shooting locales are: Nainital, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Ali Bugyal, Ranikhet, Chopta, Auli, Almora, Gwaldam, Chamoli, Munsiyari, Rishikesh, among many others.

UTTAR PRADESH

Uttar Pradesh is the rainbow land where the multi-hued Indian Culture has blossomed from times immemorial. Taj Mahal in Agra, the symbol of love, has attracted filmmakers to Uttar Pradesh since the black and white era. The temple town of Varanasi offers a never-seen-before cultural experience for the international viewer, while the Buddhist relics at Sarnath and Lucknow are other places that could double up as props for a film catering to a wide audience. The Government of Uttar Pradesh offers a maximum subsidy of Rs. 1 crore for the films which have been shot for at least a half of its total shooting days in Uttar Pradesh. Besides, the units doing outdoor shooting in the state will be given 25 percent concession in room rent on their stay in hotels/motels of the UP State Tourism Development Corporation. Some of the famous shooting locales include Lucknow, Agra, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Sarnath, and Mathura, among others.

DELHI

The capital of India, with its unique historical and cultural heritage, has formed the backdrop of many iconic films. Sprinkled with ruins that exist alongside modern infrastructure, Delhi is undoubtedly a cinematic delight embracing two contrasting worlds. The city is home to three World Heritage sites — Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb. Besides the availability of new talent, lower production cost, international connectivity and better infrastructure, there are more than 200 locations to shoot at. The city has much to celebrate as it has already reached the milestone of completing 100 years as a capital. Initiatives taken by Delhi for promotion of films include a film manual with details of filming locations, etc, film events and festival, like National School of Drama’s Summer Theatre Festival, Delhi International Arts Festival, Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, Cinemala Film Festival and Delhi International Film Festival, etc.

RAJASTHAN

The capital of India, with its unique historical and cultural heritage, has formed the backdrop of many iconic films. Sprinkled with ruins that exist alongside modern infrastructure, Delhi is undoubtedly a cinematic delight embracing two contrasting worlds. The city is home to three World Heritage sites – Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb. Besides the availability of new talent, lower production cost, international connectivity and better infrastructure, there are more than 200 locations to shoot at. The city has much to celebrate as it has already reached the milestone of completing 100 years as a capital. Initiatives taken by Delhi for promotion of films include a film manual with details of filming locations, etc, film events and festival, like National School of Drama’s Summer Theatre Festival, Delhi International Arts Festival, Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, Cinemala Film Festival and Delhi International Film Festival, etc.

JHARKHAND

Jharkhand is a nature lover’s paradise. It is home to countless waterfalls — Hundru Falls, Lodh Falls, and Johna Falls. The State’s locales include forests, hills, valleys, waterfalls, wildlife, history, culture, charming towns and vibrant cities. Incentives offered by Jharkhand include a grant of a maximum of 50 percent of the total costing involved in making films in Jharkhandi languages and films made in Hindi, Bangla, Oriya, and other languages are granted 25 percent maximum of the total costing. There is also entertainment tax exemption on films made or acquired by Children Film Society, National Award winner, best Indian film in the international festival, documentary films produced by Central government’s Film Division, etc. Among the initiatives taken by Jharkhand for the promotion of films are: single table system for the successful implementation of film policy and to provide better facilities to the people associated with films.

MAHARASHTRA

Home to Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood, Maharashtra is a director’s delight, as his/her search for locations ends right here. It boasts of a huge variety of options, seeking to be dissected with a camera. The incentives offered by Maharashtra include 100% entertainment tax exemption on Marathi films’ theatrical release in Maharashtra. Marathi films also enjoy concession/ rebate in Film/TV shooting charges at various government-owned sites/locations. Every year State government declares State Film awards, wherein the 1st best movie gets prize money of Rs. 4 lakh. The initiatives taken by the state for the promotion of films include a single-window facilitation cell as an agency to facilitate all film shooting approvals in an integrated manner from a single location; creation of the Film Tourism Promotion Council under the aegis of Maharashtra Tourism.

GUJARAT

Winner of the Indian government’s national award for the ‘Most film-friendly state’ in 2016, Gujarat is increasingly becoming the most preferred spot for the tinsel world. Filmmakers wishing to offer the audience an ‘eastern’ experience can land in Gujarat.

Incentives offered by Gujarat include incentives to Producers in the form of direct cash subsidy between Rs. 5 lakhs and 5 crores. Film producers and their crew are also given priority booking privilege and 50% rebate over the prevailing rates of rooms at government-owned Toran hotels across Gujarat. The state provides incentives on offer for winning an Oscar and other shortlisted prominent international film festivals. The initiatives taken by state for the promotion of films include a dedicated facilitation unit TCGL Film Shooting Cell; and single window clearance for film shooting permissions for all kinds of films. Among most prominent shooting locales are: Saputara, Champaner, Mandvi, Bhuj, Gopnath beach, Bhavnagar, Somnath, Dwarka, Adalaj ni vaav, Modhera, Great Rann of Kutchh, and Little Rann of Kutchh, among many others.

LAKSHADWEEP

Beautiful Lakshadweep is a paradise in itself and the simplicity of life here is what can make it a wonderful backdrop of some of the unique stories that need to be told. This tiniest Union Territory of India is situated in the Arabian Sea and is considered to be among the most beautiful beach destinations of the country. There are 27 islands in total and each is about 220 to 440 km away from the coast of Kerala. The Department of Tourism Development, UT Administration of Lakshadweep is engaged in the development of Film Tourism in the UT of Lakshadweep. Though until recently Lakshadweep was out of reach for the film industry, considering the importance of film tourism, it has been declared as one of the key elements of Lakshadweep Tourism Policy. As part of this endeavor, the Department will be initiating various projects for the promotion of film tourism in Lakshadweep.