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Uttar Pradesh government today signed agreements with private companies for the setting up of two state-of-art film cities in the state at an investment of almost Rs 700 crore.
The two film cities would be set up in Lucknow and the proposed Trans Ganga City project in Unnao district. The Lucknow project would be developed in the vicinity of the under-construction Agra-Lucknow Expressway and a Japanese company is part of the consortium.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed here in the presence of UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and noted Bollywood director-producer Boney Kapoor.
The two projects, each spread over about 300 acres, are likely to take 36 months for completion. Noted Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan is part of the consortium of the Trans Ganga film city project.
Meanwhile, Yadav distributed subsidy cheques to Bollywood producers, who had shot their films in UP under the UP film policy. He also unveiled the UP Film Bandhu website, which seeks to publicise the historical and tourist locations suitable for filmmaking.
To attract filmmakers, the government has also decided to appoint a nodal officer in each district to facilitate filmmaking. Besides, the government would provide a single window clearance to film producers.
The state is promoting filmmaking to boost tourism, economy and create jobs. In recent past, several Bollywood films include the Arjun Kapoor starrer Tevar, Bullet Raja and Ishqiya were shot in UP. Currently, over 30 films are being shot in the state.
In his address, Yadav said his government had been able to convince filmmakers to shoot in UP despite initial skepticism. He said no film could succeed without the contribution of UP audience due to its sheer population.
Under the existing film policy, the government provides a grant of Rs 2 crore to a film, if more than 50 percent of it is shot in UP. The grant is Rs one crore, if 50 percent of the film is canned in the state.
Besides, Rs 2 crore is given if the producer shoots his second film in UP. The amount is raised to Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 2.75 crore for the third and fourth films respectively. The grant is Rs 3 crore to subsequent films.
If the film storyline touches UP's culture, tourism and heritage as central theme, Rs 50 lakh additional grant is given. An additional Rs 50 lakh grant is given if post-production work is done in UP.
