Cover Story

Nowhere in the picture

The Indian film industry has, for long, been the fancy of National Tourist Offices (NTOs) of various destinations promoting themselves in India but a closer probe by Reema Sisodia reveals that their success has as much to do with the apathy of the bureaucracy of India's central and state tourism boards to recognise the opportunity in their own backyard

Scene from the film Gangster shot on location in Korea

They came, they saw, they conquered. This has been the case with India since time immemorial. It needs the world to recognise her true potential and in this case, it is clearly the NTOs of several destinations that have trained a keen eye on the Indian tourist. They have clenched the catchword ‘Bollywood’ with a firm fist and have encashed on it. They have realised the power and reach this industry has in showcasing their destination, which in turn leads to an increase in tourism traffic to their region. For NTOs, Bollywood is truly their golden goose.

NTOs on top

Switzerland Tourism admits and accepts the contribution of Yash Raj Films in making their destination popular, while Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) has thanked Vishesh Film for choosing Korea as the destination for the shoot of their film Gangster. Hyo Sik Jeon, director, KTO, on his recent visit to India, announced special support for filmmakers to shoot in Korea. "In view of its wide reach and strong following both domestically and internationally, KTO intends to get the Indian film fraternity to shoot at its tourist attractions and showcase the same," stated Jeon. Harshad Mehta, honorary consul of the Republic of Armenia in India, has also expressed strong intentions of promoting Armenia through films and has also taken the efforts of showcasing the product to prominent film makers from India.

All NTOs, right from Switzerland Tourism which was the first to tap the potential, to the other major players in the Indian market like Singapore, Australia, Mauritius, Malaysia, South Africa and recent entrants like Ireland, Korea, Armenia, Bavaria, Brazil, etc are aggressively wooing Bollywood with strategic and meticulously planned marketing and promotional campaigns. Brazil, for instance, recently waived off visa fees for a film that was shot in Rio de Jenario. Seamless and hassle-free rules, easy permits and procedures coupled with attractive deals, benefits and incentives and much more are part of the package promoted by NTOs to lure Indian film makers to their respective destinations.

In a nutshell, this is what NTOs have to offer in general:

1. Single window clearance for all permits and rules for shooting.
2. Exclusive policy designed specifically for Indian film producers.
3. Free locations for shoots, concessions at sites.
4. State-of-the-art equipment and technical support provided free or at a highly subsidised rate.
5. Free airfare and accommodation.
6. Waiver of visa fees.
7. Support from airlines in terms of baggage allowance.

Says Kiran V Shantaram, producer, director and chairman, V Shantaram Foundation, "International destinations have gone all out to capture the attention of the Indian film fraternity. From user friendly rules and procedures to a hassle-free functioning method, shooting abroad is far more pleasant than in India. Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, etc, have provided attractive packages."

The Indian scene

Correspondingly India, which is blessed with one of the world's most diverse topography, comprising of breathtaking landscapes and rich culture, heritage and art, has not even looked at this potential. Each state has a plethora of diverse attractions and can easily catapult India as a top destination for film shoots both for the domestic and international market. Ideally, India should have done what the NTOs have been doing, using Bollywood as a tool to promote the country domestically and internationally. Though films are being shot in various parts of the country, filmmakers are unanimous in voicing that shooting in India is a very difficult process. There is no single window clearance for the innumerable permits and other criteria that one has to get into place before starting work. Says Mukesh Bhatt, managing director, Vishesh Films, "It is a sad affair when it comes to shooting in India, especially in Mumbai. Bureaucracy, corruption and basically the entire system, is a nightmare for producers. Shooting abroad is comparatively economical and the product on offer is much more superior, such as beautiful streets, and clean and picture perfect locales as compared to the unclean streets of Mumbai. An international destination with their attractive packages is a dream for Indian film makers."

According to Shantaram, it is the high number of permits which one requires from various agencies for a film shoot that is painful. He says, "To shoot in a city like Mumbai, at say the Gateway of India, one needs to have permits from the following authorities: ASI, (Archaeological Survey of India), Navy, Police, the local police station (Colaba), MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation), BMC (Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation), RTO (Regional Transport Office), Traffic Police and host of others. Co-ordinating with all the authorities and the process of getting these permits can be a very lengthy and highly de-motivating." Bhatt goes a step further and totally blames the system for its bureaucracy, red tapism and corrupt practices. He says, "It is extremely frustrating to film in India especially in Maharashtra and Mumbai. We receive zero support from the authorities and over and above that have to bribe authorities for permits, which hikes up the cost of production. Unfriendly infrastructure, badly maintained locations also add up to the agony. It is high time we take a serious call on the system and have a straight and user friendly system in place, like it is prevalent internationally." Bhatt is also of the opinion that the states only have plans and incentives on paper, if there are any in the first place.

Jayaraman, chief executive officer, Exotique Expeditions, a New Delhi based tour company, specialising in facilitating overseas film producers cites an unpleasant experience while assisting a team of Philippines-based film makers to shoot their serial Extra Challenge at various locations in the Golden Triangle, including Fatehpur Sirkri and Taj Mahal. "The entire system is in a mess and we had to run in circles to get certain permits since ASI was involved. The run around for permits and sanctions was so tedious that the filmmakers gave up and we have yet to recover our deposit of Rs 50,000 from ASI. Further, the hotels are over priced, the entire infrastructure is an issue," states Jayaraman. According to him, encouraging international filmmakers to come to India for shoots is great business opportunity for the travel trade as well as tourism promotion of India at large. "The system has to change and requires vision from leaders and political will," opines Jayaraman.

Echoing a similar thought is filmmaker Ashok Pandit. Says Pandit, "The beauty of Kashmir is unmatched and used to be the most sought after destination for film shooting through the 60s and right till the time the state was rocked with insurgency problem. When the conditions were right, the destination was over priced, but then filmmakers had to succumb to the demands. Today the destination needs to make serious efforts to rope in filmmakers. While the Kashmir government has invited film producers to shoot in the region, they have not supported the move with the providing the necessary confidence. I am extremely keen on shooting my next film there as the script requires a Kashmir background, and I am hoping for complete support from the authorities."

India has the potential

India can adopt the thought process of the NTOs, of marketing the country through the medium of cinema in conjunction with the highly successful Incredible India campaign. This strategy would not only work wonders in providing the country much needed exposure, but also help increase the visitor numbers. Suresh Chablani, CEO, Rose Travels, which has been the official travel agency for a host of film producers and banners, opines that Bollywood and the regional cinema can be a vital tool in building brand India and destination marketing to boost tourism. "Today while the world is looking at India, it is the best time for India tourism and the state tourism boards to realise that films can be highly instrumental in showcasing the potential of the country to the world. We too have good locations and facilities like Ramoji Film City, for international film makers to come here and shoot," states Chablani. He further adds, "It is also a great business avenue for the trade as on an average a film unit comprises of 50 people depending on where the shoot is taking place. On an average there are about 24 films which are shot per year, if not more, and this can be a good mode of business. The increase in tourist traffic, both international and domestic, once destinations are popularised by films will also be a big boost of revenue for the trade.”

Rajeev Talwar, additional director general tourism, government of India, agrees to the bureaucratic and technical bottlenecks. Says Talwar, "We definitely need to be more proactive and take the right steps to assist film makers and make India a preferred location for shoots. It is unfortunate that film makers have been facing difficulty in their work and it is important to provide the right environment which includes easy, smooth and time saving facilities for shooting. But I would like to state that more than concessions and subsidies emphasis should be first on making the process for film shooting convenient and easy."

Initiatives taken in India

Very few in India have realised the potential of promoting the destination through films and unfortunately their efforts have been stuck on the decision table. In an attempt to capitalise on the tourism boom caused by cinema, Centre for Media & Entertainment Studies (CMES) had organised a cinematic conclave to promote Chandigarh and the northern states of Punjab and Haryana as ideal destinations for film shoots. Attended by stalwarts of the film industry, the conclave sought to ignite the imagination of the Mumbai film and television industry in opting to shoot in these regions and provide an impetus to cinematic tourism. A host of measures were announced which included setting up of an office in north India providing a single window clearance for film projects, access and information on the Web so that production houses in Mumbai can initiate and get clearances processed online, joint promotions by Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal in the form of consolidated cinematic tourism packages, etc.

During the conclave Jagjit Puri, managing director, Punjab tourism, said, "The aim of this conclave is to interact with the film and television industry, understand their needs and find out their problems. It is an integrated effort to promote north India. Punjab alone has 99 heritage sites. All these sites have been opened for shooting at nominal rates with a single window clearance. The state government provides 50 per cent entertainment tax exemption for all films produced in Punjabi."

According to sources from Uttar Pradesh (UP) tourism, the film policy of the state called ‘Film Bandhu’ provides a rebate of 40 per cent in the tariff of government tourist bungalows and 25 per cent discount on Public Works Department (PWD) cottages. Free security arrangements, entertainment tax exceptions for films, which are shot 75 per cent or more in UP and nominal charge for using the air strip for shooting are some of the other incentives offered by the film policy. Maharashtra has also set up subsidies four months ago but only for Marathi films shot in Maharashtra. For a 35 mm cinemascope colour Dolby Digital Sound (DDS), the Maharashtra government gives 30 lakhs to the producer, while 25 lakhs are offered for non-DDS films. Jammu & Kashmir tourism has also announced special benefits for shooting in the state and Rajasthan is yet another state, which has a film tourism policy in place.

Though states have their policies in place, how effective and streamlined they are is yet to be seen. Pandit says, "All these policies are there, but they seem to be workable only on paper. We want policies that are real and completely free from bureaucratic hassles." Jayaraman sums up the bottomline for film tourism, "It will result in more business for travel agents and tour operators. In this light we are aiming to expand our business to promote India to international film makers and hope that the systems and infrastructure will improve to benefit tourism in India in the long run." Hence it’s time India wakes up to this idea.”