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Tag: Film City

  • CINTAA welcomes move to expedite extending industry status to entertainment sector

    CINTAA welcomes move to expedite extending industry status to entertainment sector

    MUMBAI:  Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) has welcomed the Maharashtra government’s move to formulate a comprehensive policy for entertainment sector and expedite procedure of extending industry status.

    ''The decision of the Maharashtra government has come at a most appropriate time for the fraternity. This will undoubtedly bring in progressive ramifications to the sector,'' CINTAA said in a statement.

    The state government on October 23 announced that it will devise a policy for the entertainment sector as well as declare rebate of up to 25 per cent in shooting charges at Goregaon Film City, while also advancing the process to grant industry status to the sector. The decision to formulate a comprehensive policy was taken in a meeting chaired by cultural affairs minister Amit Deshmukh.

    The minister has asked Maharashtra film, stage and cultural development corporation limited (MFSCDC) to prepare a draft for the policy. “The comprehensive policy will cover all aspects dealing with various platforms such as films, theatre, documentaries, serials to over-the-top (OTT) content. It will be presented before the state cabinet for its final nod,” Deshmukh said.

    CINTAA stated that it has strived very hard to get support for the betterment of the fraternity in general and the actors community in particular. “Realizing the challenges faced and to be on par with other sectors, the idea to have an Industry status for us has always been our foremost objective and our pursuit has always been rationale driven. Our efforts have been truly paid,” it added.

    MFSCDC MD Manisha Verma said, “The policy will have a holistic approach towards all aspects related to the sector. We will consider simplification of taxation, increasing screens, fiscal incentives, changing technology besides generation of skilled manpower. It’s a labour-intensive industry and has the potential of job generation. All these aspects will be deliberated upon during a webinar with all stakeholders between 5 and 7 November. Valid suggestions and recommendations that we will get during the deliberation will be incorporated in the policy.”

  • Shooting in Mumbai, Thane likely to start by 23 June: IFTPC’s Nitin Vaidya

    Shooting in Mumbai, Thane likely to start by 23 June: IFTPC’s Nitin Vaidya

    MUMBAI: It will soon be lights, camera, action in the television industry. With permisisons being granted slowly, filmmakers and broadcasters will have to obtain permission from the police and district authorities before they can start shooting. Maraṭhi film and TV producer Nitin Vaidya, who is also a member of Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC), told indiantelevision.com that it is trying to seek permission from Film City to begin shooting in Mumbai and Thane from 23 or 25 June.

    He adds, “We producers, among ourselves, have decided a common date to start shooting between 23 to 25 June. We must put things in place like insurance and mediclaim for all cast, crew members and people on set. We are looking at bulk insurance deals from the IFTPC. Once that is done, we can start shooting. All the decisions have been conveyed to broadcasters also. We are hoping that all the permissions will be granted for Mumbai and Thane.”

    Marathi actor, TV host and Shiv Sena leader Aadesh Bandekar highlights that producers are waiting permission from Film City to begin shooting in Mumbai.  But district collectors in Thane, Sangli and Satara have already given permission to resume shooting.

    Vaidya also mentions that in other parts of Maharashtra permission has been given. But shooting has not yet started.  In the meantime, producers are prepping up for the post-pandemic return, in terms of fumigation, sanitisation, several other SOP measures and guidelines that need to be complied with.

    According to Vaidya, the association has requested broadcasters to telecast after 13 July 2020. So, producers can go ahead with immediate bank of episodes. As this is a new normal, Vaidya finds that it will be difficult to analyse what will happen on the set after shooting resumes.

    Earlier this month Maharashtra government allowed shoots across the state to resume. A list of SOPs and other guidelines too were issued, which also includes shooting only in non-containment zones. Producers will have to apply to managing director of the Maharashtra film, theatre, cultural development corporation, the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in Goregaon, Mumbai and district collectors outside Mumbai for resuming shootings.  

  • Film City to stay open beyond 19 March; no government directive to close down

    Film City to stay open beyond 19 March; no government directive to close down

    MUMBAI: Are productions in Mumbai really coming to a grinding halt? 

    First came the news that the unions, IMPPA, FWICE, IFTDA, IFTPC and WIFPA, had agreed to cease shoots for TV shows, digital originals and films come 19 March till 31 March 2020, keeping in mind the onward march of the novel Covid-19 virus.  

    Last night, the buzz on WhatsApp groups and in some media was that the stoppage would commence from this morning. However, as the day progressed it became clear that filming was continuing in locations like Film City in Mumbai. 

    And officials from the organisation were  certain that there would be no closure of Film City even after 19 March. 

    “Unless of course an order is received by us from the collector or a government official clearly mandating us to shut shop,” said a Film City official. “We will be meeting with the collector and magistrate later today and depending on whether we get an order we will be open or shut between 19 and 31 March.”

    The FWICE senior management has been adamant that its members – which covers associations representing the various technicians, trades and crafts and crew –  would not be reporting for work post 19 March until 31 March.

    The broadcasters on their part have not made any announcements about how they would manage their programming line up post 19 March. Would they insist on producers building up a bank shooting overtime over the next three days? Or would they resort to reruns post 19 March? We await announcements from them at the time of writing. 

    In the meanwhile, many producers have brought in doctors on shoots, making sure there are enough thermometers while hand sanitisers have been made available on sets of shoots which are continuing at Film City and other locations. 

    Let’s wait and watch to see how this pans out.

  • From ‘Red Tape’ to ‘Red Carpet’: Maharashtra govt’s vision for M&E sector

    From ‘Red Tape’ to ‘Red Carpet’: Maharashtra govt’s vision for M&E sector

    MUMBAI: The demand for single window clearance for the film sector is nothing new, but the good news now is that the newly appointed state government under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is looking into it, and seriously.

     

    Government of Maharashtra Tourism & Culture secretary Valsa Nair Singh told the gathering on the concluding day of FICCI Frames 2015, that the process for single window clearance has begun. “The problem is that no one is aware how many clearances are needed to be able to produce a movie in Maharashtra. While someone says 70, others say 60 or 50. It has been a month and I have been trying to collect all the data regarding clearances that are currently needed. I still don’t have a clear picture,” she informed.

     

    The government, after collecting the required data, will start analysing the clearances which are actually needed. “I am sure almost half of it would either be repetitive or redundant. We will then see how many of the clearances can be clubbed. We will also appoint a nodal officer, who would be handling everything, thus ensuring that the producer doesn’t have to go to each department,” informed Singh.

     

    Once the process is completed for films, the government will look at coming up with single window clearance even for live events. “What we have seen is that people are moving away from the state for live events and the reason they cite is the long process of approvals. So we have to make the system more conducive,” she added.

    The single window clearance has been set in motion, said Singh adding that the Chief Minister who had attended the Pune Film Festival had also suggested that the procedure will be in place before the next film festival.

    Considering that the film industry contributed almost Rs 50 billion to the GDP in 2013 and an employment of 7.75 lakhs in just one year, the Maharashtra government is looking at ensuring that more films are shot in the state. “We need to make the process simpler and provide the infrastructure,” she said.

     

    Singh raised concerns over the multiple authority clearance, which according to her leads to red tapism. “We want to move from red tape to red carpet, this is the intention of the Maharashtra government,” announced Singh.  

     

    In a meeting held on 25 March, the government has already taken the decision to start moving towards single window clearance and reduce the number of approvals.

    The Maharashtra government also wants to create awareness about the locations in the state, which can be used for shooting. “We would be doing it through a ready reckoner for locations. It will have the photographs, the connectivity, the location and the helpline numbers for the location. We will be compiling everything and uploading the same on the website,” she said.

     

    The government wants to move to the online regime, “but that will take time and so the single windowing process will start manually first as a pilot project and then move to online,” informed Singh. The nodal officer for the entire project will be the managing director of Film City located in Goregaon in Mumbai. “We are trying it on pilot basis from the next month and the announcement for the same will be made soon.”

    Singh also agreed that the industry needed to be incentivised. “The more movies that are shot here, the government stands to benefit and that will happen with incentives. We would like to take it up soon,” she said.

    This is a new beginning for the film industry. “The M&E has so far not got its due. We will look at it closely,” concluded Singh.

     

  • Film City wants to set up museum at Whistling Wood land

    Film City wants to set up museum at Whistling Wood land

    MUMBAI: Head of Film City Shyam Tagde has said that he would request the Maharashtra state government to use the recovered land of Subhash Ghai‘s Whistling Woods for the culture department‘s ambitious plan of setting up a Bollywood museum.

    “The project report of the museum is almost ready. If approved by the government, the plan on using the land could be envisaged,” he said.

    According to Tagde, the museum will act as an added attraction for tourists and help the government generate revenue.

    The Supreme Court had suggested that the government could lease out the land by inviting bids at market rates.

    The state government has already initiated procedure of recovering 12.5 acres of land from the institute after the Supreme Court ruling last Thursday.

  • Bombay HC orders Whisling Woods land to be handed over to Govt

    Bombay HC orders Whisling Woods land to be handed over to Govt

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court, in an order, has asked Whistling Woods head honcho Subhash Ghai to hand over to the government of Maharashtra the 20-acre land on which the film and television institute is situated.


    Passing the order a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Girish Godbole said, ” In the interest of justice, we direct respondent number 3 and 4 (Ghai and Whistling Woods) to vacate 14.5 acre area immediately which shall be resumed by the state government. The remaining 5.5 acre where the institute is constructed shall be taken over by the government on 31 July 2014 by when all the ongoing courses at the film institute shall be completed.”
     
    The Court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Rajendra Sontakke and four other agriculturists from Latur and Osmanabad districts.


    The honourable court has also restrained Whistling Woods from granting admissions to students for courses that will go beyond 2014.


    Reacting to the order, Ghai said: “We respect the High Court judgement and will appeal to the Supreme Court for our lawful rights. We are at no fault and have done nothing wrong. We had a legal joint venture in 2002 with Film City and us to use the land for building a world class Film and Media Institute which was challenged by a PIL in court after 10 years and we hope we will get full justice from the Supreme Court.”

  • Maharashtra govt asks Nitin Desai to spruce up Film City

    Maharashtra govt asks Nitin Desai to spruce up Film City

    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has appointed award-winning art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai to develop the Film City situated at Goregaon.


    The makeover will see the formation of a Bollywood museum in the premises of the studio. The construction work in this regard will commence next year.


    Since the last few years, the state government has been mulling with the idea to prop up Film City. However, no concrete plans could be arrived at. Finally, everything has been decided.


    “Yes, Nitin Desai has been appointed as a consultant and will draw up the development plan of Film City including the setting up of a Bollywood museum,” Film City managing director Shyam Tagade said.


    At present, there are 16 studios and 40 outdoor locations in the Film City campus spread over 520 acres.