Udaipur : The Udaipur Chamber of Commerce and Industry has submitted a proposal to the state government to set up a Film City in Udaipur. In a letter sent to the Chief Minister and the Tourism department as well as to the center government, UCCI officials suggested creation of a SPE ( special purpose entity) and launch the project on a public private partnership mode. In this connection, the district administration had some months ago, identified a large vacant land in Gogunda, near the city.
“ Since the 1960s, Udaipur has been a favorite destination for filming of movies. Evergreen classic movie ‘Guide’, James Bond film ‘Octopussy’ , Amitabh Bachhan starrer ‘KhudaGawah’ to Wes Anderson’s 2007 cult classic ‘Darjeeling Limited’, to most recent movies like ‘Ram Leela’ ‘Dhadak’ and countless movies have been shot in Udaipur city. The exquisite locations, lakes, heritage sites and the inner city life offer a distinctive backdrop which is unmatched. In an average year there are more than a dozen movies and TV serials shot in Udaipur and their filming crews spend weeks and sometimes months at a time on sets and locations in and around Udaipur” UCCI president Ramesh Kumar Singhvi said in his letter.
People related to the tourism sector are experienced in hosting and facilitating the entertainment industry. There are more than 3 thousand local artists, performers, filmmakers, writers, directors, radio programmers, TV anchors, news correspondents, videographers, editors, costume designers, caterers, logistics providers etc.working in the field of media and entertainment. Singhvi said, the people of Udaipur are deeply cultural and are looking for a scintillating experience of theatre, live performances, glamour events, fashion shows and musical concerts. Udaipur is increasingly becoming a hub for corporate events.
Large events like, film festivals, literature fests, trade fairs and exhibitions not only attract more people, but also bring more revenue. Singhvi also suggested that an exhibition-cum-convention centre as a part of the Film City would further facilitate in creation of infrastructure to stage big events. This would attract more business from entertainment tourism and accommodate the required facilities for retaining the local talent in TV, film and theatre by generating more employment opportunities.