Film City project a non-starter

 A film city for the Kannada film industry has been a long cherished dream. However, even after 300 acres of land was earmarked in Hesaraghatta for the purpose nearly two decades ago, the project has been a non-starter.

With the film industry unable to give shape to the project, successive governments have tried to impress upon the industry to part with a major chunk of the land for industrial projects. Will the Siddaramaiah government help the industry realise the prestigious project?

Well, according to Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce Chairman Vijay Kumar, three proposals have been put forth before the government for the revival of the film city project. This includes former minister S A Ramdas’ proposal to develop a film city near Mysore Airport.

According to director-producer B Suresha, there is a crying need for a film city in Bangalore. The Kanteerava Studio has been dominated by the channels and the rates are exorbitant, making it imperative to have a film city. “Airport and railway stations no longer permit film shoots. Shooting in real locations in the City has been a nuisance to residents. To prevent this, many senior producers, including me, have bought land on the outskirts and created our own spaces and studios to cut down on cost,” he said.

Director Rajendra Singh Babu, while concurring with Suresha, however, felt Mysore was better suited to house one. “Film industry is a creative field for the director, actors, artistes coming from various corners of the City to the shooting spot, navigating through the traffic would be difficult. Mysore is comparitively a better place,” he opined.

Film shooting in other centres is becoming difficult. Mumbai is dictated by the Shiv Sena, Hyderabad is bogged down by Telangana protests and Chennai’s weather is inhospitable. “Mysore has a great opportunity to capture the latent market,” he argues. Begging to differ, B Suresha says the film city should be functional and not become a tourist attraction. He proposed the project be launched on a public-private-partnership with leading producers pitching in.