The Uttarakhand government is rolling out the red carpet for filmmakers to visit the hilly state endowed with abundant natural beauty and shoot their projects there.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said today his government has decided to not charge fees from filmmakers to enourage them to shoot in Uttarakhand and promote the state as a preferred shooting destination.
"We have decided not to charge any fee for film shootings in the state so as to attract more and more filmmakers from across the country and abroad to shoot their movies here," he told a gathering in Tehri city in Garhwal region, the land of many 'garhs' or forts.
He also clapped the 'mahurat shot' of Shahid Kapoor- starrer "Bijli Gul Metre Chalu" there. The film is to be shot in Tehri, Rishikesh, Dehradun and Mussoorie over the next two months.
Often referred to as "Devbhumi" because of Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found across the state, Uttarakhand is known for the natural environment of the Himalayas.
Ancient rock paintings, rock shelters, palaeolithic stone tools, and megaliths suggest that the mountains of the region have been inhabited since prehistoric times.
Tourism is one of the key industries driving the state's economy. Increase in film shootings will generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for the people of the state.
"Abounding in locations of rare scenic beauty, Uttarakhand can be an ideal destination for outdoor shootings. All that is needed on part of the filmmakers is a passion to explore," Rawat said.
He said when he was first approached by the filmmakers he advised them to start their shooting from Tehri area, home to several tourist spots including the spectacular Tehri Lake.
Rawat said Tehri has a great potential as a tourist destination and added that the Tehri lake was being developed to encourage filmmakers to shoot around the lake.
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