Rajasthan, October 21, 2005
M. P. Garg
THE INDIAN EXPRESS GROUP
Singapore-based NRI firm-Scenario Media Ltd has
been roped in to invest Rs 1000 crore in developing
the Filmcity. JDA has limited its role as just
a land-offering body. It will allocate 1200 bighas
of land to the firm for the township and Filmcity
development. By pulling out from the active involvement
in the Filmcity, JDA will rake in Rs 135 crore by
selling off the land to the NRI firm. Thus, once a
dream project of the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje,
Pinkcity Filmcity looks a certainty now.
Aishwarya Rai has invested Rs 11 crores in this
project. Besides being an actor, she is a fine
businesswoman too. She has earned an income-tax free
Rs 83 lakhs from her investment in the wind energy
project in Rajasthan. Aishwarya Rai is so enamoured
by the project that twice she has secretly visited
Kothari in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, where
her project is located.
Rajasthan rolls out red carpet
In wake of the high-level Rajasthan Government delegation
led by Minister of State for Urban Development &
Housing Minister, Pratap Singh Singhvis visit
on July 22 and 23 to Film City in Mumbai and free
and frank discussions with movie moghuls of the Hindi
film industry there and the good response from filmmakers,
the State Government is keen to go ahead with its
Filmcity project, christened as Jollywood
to be located on the outskirts of the Pinkcity on
Agra Road near Sumel village. The Filmcity will be
developed on 1,000 acres of land. The Jaipur Development
Authority (JDA) possess 600 acres and the rest will
be acquired soon. The Government will lease the land
to interested parties preferably through the BIDI.
A township filmnagri with an investment
of Rs. 100 crores and a five-star hotel project of
around Rs 50 crore are a part of the project designed
to raise funds. As many as 30 studies are proposed
to be set up in the Film City.
The JDA Commissioner Dr Lalit J Panwar disclosed that
the budget for provision of infrastructural needs
like water, electricity beautifying the landscape
and building roads, etc has been hiked from Rs. 5
to Rs. 10 crores with the Government consent for the
current financial year. Another Rs 10 crores has been
earmarked for 2006-07. Panwar added: The JDA
has decided to depute an officer-in-charge for the
filmmakers coming to Rajasthan for shooting of their
films. Ashutosh Gowarikar and Vidhu Chopra will be
visiting Rajasthan next month in search of location
for their new films Jodha Akbar and Yagna respectively.
The Officer-in-charge will look into their needs,
to ensure that they carry a positive feedback to Mumbai.
The officer would get things done for the visiting
filmmakers, so that they face no hassels, as in the
past. The Government is expected to finalise the Film
City package within three months, following which
applications would be invited from the interested
the Hindi filmmakers. The JDA will start the infrastructure
development work by January next.
It may be added that during free and frank discussion
with the Hindi film industry bigwigs, the state delegation
members listened to the genuine problems faced by
the Hindi filmmakers who visited Rajasthan for shooting
their films in the past. While all the producers admitted
that Jaipur and the whole of Rajasthan was a favourite
location, noted producer-director Yash Chopra said:
Other states, even some other countries like
Thailand offer good package to the filmmakers. If
the Rajasthan Government fails to fulfil its promises
to the film producers, its plan to set up a Filmcity
in Jaipur, may prove a flop filmcity like in Noida.
Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra said: Rajasthan
has a strange fascination for filmmakers, but for
shooting at six locations in Rajasthan, he had to
seek permission for each location separately. He wished
that he had to approach only one Authority to shoot
anywhere in Rajasthan. Single Window System
is the right remedy for solution of producers
problems, he added. Producer Rajkumar Kohli of Nagin
fame, said: Corruption prevalent in Rajasthan
is the biggest bottleneck, he had to face while shooting
films in Rajasthan even traffic policemen had to be
paid for control of crowds. Adlabs Chairman Manmohan
Shetty said: Setting up a film laboratory at
the Jaipur Filmcity will be viable only if 25-30 films
are produced there in a year. Producer Vashu
Bhagnani suggested that Jollywood should be developed
on the pattern of Rasmojirao Filmcity at Hyderabad.
Pappu Verma, producer from Rajasthan, said: Filmcity
at Jaipur should be developed in two sections: one
based on Rajasthani culture and another, based on
modern lines.
If right incentives and right policies are adopted
by the Government of Rajasthan, Filmcity at Jaipur
with its tension-free atmosphere will attract the
film producers from all over India and outside, because
of its locational advantages, its forts and palaces,
its scenic beauty and shooting facilities round the
year.