Be ready for open competition, Adityanath tells Uddhav

Amid a war of words on the FilmCity, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath asked his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray to be ready and believe in open competition.

“FilmCity is not a purse that it could be stolen away…it is about open competition….Mumbai’s FilmCity will remain but we are also offering a FilmCity,” Yogi Adityanath told reporters on Wednesday wrapping up his two-day Mumbai visit during which he also met Bollywood bigwigs. He, however, did not name Thackeray.

According to him, the proposed FilmCity in Noida would be a “world-class facility” catering to the emerging needs of the entertainment industry.

It needs to be mentioned that Thackeray had stated that the FilmCity was born in Mumbai, has a history of over a century, and would not allow being taken away.

Thackeray on Tuesday said, “We are not jealous if someone progresses, we do not have any problem with someone's progress if one competes. But if you are going to forcibly take anything away, then, of course, I won't let it happen and you will not be willing to go.

”The visit of Yogi Adityanath, a firebrand BJP leader, had rattled the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Speaking further, Yogi Adityanath said that the FilmCity will be near the proposed Jewar International Airport, which would be the biggest in Asia. Besides, a FinTech City and Electronics City will also be there in the vicinity.

“We are thinking big and doing big,” he said, adding that the UP government’s plans are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a five-trillion-dollar economy. However, he clarified that he was not here to curtail anyone’s growth.

“We are offering facilities, safety, social security, and the right environment for work,” he said. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said Mumbai’s FilmCity could not be replicated.

“What is the status of Noida film city now? Can you create Mumbai’s Film City in Lucknow and Patna?” Raut asked and pointed out that Bengal and South have big film industries and their actors have worked in Mumbai too.