Saloni Bhatia – New Delhi
Progress Harmony Development Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a Global Film Tourism Conference in New Delhi. The event witnessed major ministers and filmmakers in attendance who discussed about the contribution of the film industry to a country’s tourism. In his welcome address Mahesh Gupta, president, PHD Chamber, informed, “As one of the oldest chambers in the country we realise the importance of film industry in promoting the tourism of a state. The tourism industry has a multiplier effect on the economy and film tourism needs to be promoted as a niche tourism product.”
Commenting on the challenges that one has to face as a filmmaker, Prakash Jha, said, “It becomes difficult to attian permissions from various government departments. In order to ease the process, there should be a one room window for all approvals and permissions. I have shot several films in Bhopal and Maharashtra and appreciate the immense support provided by the government. Specially in Bhopal, the authorities make sure there is freedom of creativity and the right ambiance.”
Another filmmaker on the panel, Madhur Bhandarkar, opined, “The lack of proper infrastructure and difficulty to get permission is the reason filmmakers hesitate to shoot in India. We have everything in our country, from heritage sites to urban cities. Since foreign countries have easy process in permissions more filmmakers head towards the west.”
According to a report released by the PHDCCI, 35 per cent of Bollywood films were shot in India during 2014-2016, while 45 per cent were shot abroad and the remaining 20 per cent both in India and abroad. Jawhar Sircar, CEO, Prasar Bharati, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, added, “I would request the filmmakers to project India in the right light and our authorities to cut down on restrictions. We can probably have signs at locations where the films are shot in order to raise awareness and promote them as film destinations.”