The Covid-19 crisis could have slowed the entertainment industry, but it is still a great source of employment and income. As filming resumes across the country, there is a more exciting announcement made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who recently announced the creation of the country’s ‘largest’ film city around Noida, UP.
While we wonder how significant this announcement is to Bollywood, filmmakers and industry experts have mixed reactions to the impact of such plans.
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar says it could be a boost. “Not just for Bollywood, but all over India. Just like I filmed 70 percent of Chandni Bar in Ramoji Rao filmcity (Hyderabad), all equipment was provided. If the UP government provides the facilities, the industry will definitely disappear. We need that infrastructure. Anyway, the indoor sequences we didn’t shoot in Mumbai, like the whole Chandni Bar sequence was in Hyderabad, but the outdoor sequences in Mumbai in patches, ”says the 52-year-old.
Ashoke Pandit, Senior Advisor to the Federation of Film Employees of West India (FWICE), points to the fact that many movies are shot in states like Madhya and Uttar Pradesh.
“I’m going to shoot in Bhopal on September 25 for my movie The Last Show with Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik, directed by Vivek Agnihotri. People need changes now in infrastructure, they want to move and explore the culture of other states. These days, you can’t focus on one city in particular, ”he shares, adding that the emergence of these studies will also improve the livelihoods of all stakeholders.
“They are giving job opportunities to various people, from various states who have come to Mumbai. It will be easy for them to stay home and work in industry. Actors and technicians can live in their cities and not fight in Mumbai for careers, ”adds Pandit.
However, some feel that even those announcements will not affect Mumbai status as the center of Bollywood.
“Movies are being shot all over the world now, and not as much as in Mumbai. People shoot in Lucknow, or even London. As for the center, I don’t think the center of film production will change, the business will remain in Mumbai, ”reasons director Vikram Bhatt.
Echoing similar views, actor and casting director Abhishek Banerjee says: “This is a very production-based question about what this ad really has for the film industry. But as an actor, you already go to different places and studios, no matter where we are. It’s good, of course, in a way. “
Recalling the fate of similar plans in the past, trade expert Atul Mohan says: “I remember that all the TV channels had changed bases there. The Madhya Pradesh government also invited many growers and created landmarks near Bhopal. The same type of proposal was planned between Mumbai and Goa, in the Konkan belt, which did not work. I’m not putting anyone off, I’m just reminiscing about past announcements. If they advertise some kind of package or bonuses … they would have to give incentives to producers who will then plan to shoot there. “
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