Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat informed the media that Uttarakhand had been nominated for the Most Film Friendly State award as part of the 66th National Film Awards. Stating that this is a good sign for tourism in Uttarakhand, he said that the State Government has implemented an attractive film policy for the benefit of film producers.
During the investors summit held last year, film producers from across the nation and abroad had made suggestions, after which the state government implemented the film policy 2019. The chief minister further informed that since 2017 to the present, about 220 films, serials and documentaries have been shot in the state. These include Meter Chalu Batti Gul, Parmanu, Batla House, Kabir Singh, Kedarnath, Narendra Modi, Student of The Year -2 and Man Vs Wild to be broadcast on Discovery Channel. Rawat said that the state government had come up with an attractive film policy which consists of a single-window system to secure permission for shooting. No charge is taken for film shooting in the state. Further, there is provision for up to Rs 1.5 crore grant unde the new film policy.
In addition to this, police protection during the film shooting duration is also provided free of cost. The policy also includes provision for local cinemas to screen regional films at least once a week. The chief minister recalled that last year, as part of the national film awards, the state had received Special Mention Certificate for Film Friendly State. Aspects like ease of filming, infrastructure, grant, database, marketing, promotion and number of films shot in the state are considered in the selection for this award. Shooting of films in Uttarakhand also benefits local artists and businesses.
This activity also encourages tourism. He informed that for the shooting of Student of The Year-2, the producer spent Rs 13 crore in the state which benefitted the people of the state while the government also earned crores of rupees in the form of Goods and Services Tax. He further informed that private institutions have come forward for building film studios in the state. One such facility has opened in Kotdwar while another will be opened soon in Dehradun. A number of South Indian film-makers have also been attracted to Uttarakhand. The peaceful and cordial atmosphere is much appreciated by the film makers. The state government intends to enable the film makers to reach the remote border areas of the state too. This will also help link such areas to tourism, he added.
