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NRI firm, based Singapore invest Rs 1000 crore for Filmcity in Rajasthan

 

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 Singhvi’s 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.


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Filmcity at Jaipur



Aishwarya Rai has invested Rs 11 crores in project at Kothari in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan