Following Uttar Pradesh’s footsteps, Uttarakhand to build film city

Uttarakhand could soon have a film city of its own with state government officials being tasked with identifying a suitable piece of land in the hill state for the project.

New Delhi: Uttarakhand, a popular shooting destination among filmmakers, could soon have a film city of its own with state government officials being tasked with identifying a suitable piece of land in the hill state for the project. Special Principal Secretary Abhinav Kumar held a meeting with officials of the information department at Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami camp office here on Tuesday. He also asked officials to prepare an action plan for building film industry-related infrastructure and creating basic shooting and production facilities, according to a press release.

Besides, Kumar directed officials to consult a national-level film training institute and work towards establishing its branch in Uttarakhand.

A plan should also be worked out for providing subsidies for mobile theatres in hilly and border areas and for films based on the dialects and languages of Uttarakhand selected for screening at national and international film festivals, the release said.

Courses related to films and filmmaking should be introduced in universities of Uttarakhand, it added.

Hindi cinema's love affair with the picturesque locales of Uttarakhand goes back to Bimal Roy's 1958 paranormal romance "Madhumati", starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, which was shot in the hills of Almora.

Following a string of concessions under the single-window clearance system, developed by the state government, Uttarakhand has gained popularity as a shooting spot in recent years.

Other Hindi films shot in the state include Karan Johar's "Student of the Year" series, Abhishek Kapoor's "Kedarnath", Shree Narayan Singh's "Batti Gul Metre Chalu" and Tigmanshu Dhulia's "Paan Singh Tomar".

Uttarakhand is the latest state to announce plans to build a film city.

In 2020, the Uttar Pradesh government announced its decision to set up India's "biggest" film industry in the state. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana are already home to thriving film cities.