Delhi govt woos filmmakers with singlewindow approval, good infra
CITY ON CELLULOID Focus on ease of making movies in the city as number of films being shot in the Capital treble in a year
NEWDELHI: With a wide variety of landscape and cultural and historical hubs, Delhi has been a popular choice of filmmakers. In the past few years, several movies have featured the city landmarks or been made with the city as its backdrop. Currently, at least 30 films are shot in Delhi every year.
However, Delhi has never been an easy place to shoot. Film producers have to seek permissions from several government agencies to shoot a movie in Delhi. And, permissions do not always come easily.
But that might change soon. The Delhi government has planned several i nitiatives, including reinvigorating its Film Shooting Facilitation Cell. Besides, it plans to develop a single window system for clearances for filmmakers.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the culture and tourism portfolio, said, “Delhi has been a muse of many writers and filmmakers. Over the years, a number of remarkable films have been shot in Delhi, making it one of the most desirable shooting destinations.”
“To promote Delhi as a film shooting destination for the global cinema, the government of Delhi, along with other stakeholders, is taking various steps to ease filming in Delhi. A single window operation is one aspect. Along with this, we would be working towards creating infrastructure and facilities that support filmmaking. We are consulting filmmakers to understand the need of the industry,” Sisodia told Hindustan Times.
He said, “Delhi on celluloid will not only promote film tourism but also bring forth the real stories that belong to our city.”
The tourism department is the nodal agency for the creation of a single-window clearance system.
Shurbir Singh, managing director, Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), said: “We are working with 16 stakeholders, mostly government agencies , in the city to work out a single window mechanism.”
“The idea is to make Delhi a film friendly state,” Singh said.
According to Sudhir Sobti, chief manager (PR & Publicity), Delhi Tourism, only 10 movies were shot in a year in Delhi till five years ago. “Now, this number has trebled. We are also participating in various film festivals to promote the city. Recently, we took part in the Goa Film Festival,” he said.
The Delhi government’s tourism department is closely working with Film Facilitation Office (FFO), responsible for facilitating foreign films in India, to help foreign filmmakers, Sobti said.
Nila Madhab Panda, a National Award winning director who has made films such as I am Kalam and Kadvi Hawa, said Delhi is one of the good cities to shoot because it has got open spaces which is a big problem in Mumbai.
“Besides, Delhi has several historical monuments, good markets and top class urban infrastructure — some of the reasons why the number of films being shot in the city is growing,” said Panda.
“But yes, the process to get permission to shoot needs to be made easier if the authorities really want to promote film tourism in the city,” he added.
Ravi Sarin, a line producer, who has facilitated shooting of more than 150 films in the national Capital, said the government should not only ease norms for granting permission,