Government may shelve film city project

Government may shelve film city project

K.N. Venkatasubba Rao

Substantial investment on it has not been found wise

# The Hegde Government had earmarked 400 acres of land for the project
# A blueprint of a model film city was also prepared

BANGALORE: The Government is stated to be planning to abandon the long standing film city project as it has found that the venture is neither financially viable nor pragmatic in the light of fast changing film-making technology.

Sources in the Government told The Hindu that a decision was expected shortly on shelving the project.

The view in the Government is that investing an estimated Rs. 300 crore for developing a film city at this juncture is not wise, as the demands of the art of filmmaking has undergone a sea change.

The Government's experience with the Sree Kanteerava Studios, which was once the hub of cinema activity and is now thriving at the mercy of television serial makers, and the boom of private film cities on the outskirts of Bangalore have also influenced the Government's reported stand.

Land value

Besides, the value of the earmarked 300 acres of land at Hesaraghatta for the purpose has substantially increased. It is estimated that the given land will fetch a minimum of Rs. 45 lakh an acre in the open market.

In the mid-1980s, the then Ramakrishna Hegde Government had earmarked 400 acres of prime land in the vicinity of the Hesaraghatta Farm for developing the film city.

In 1989, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) and the now defunct Karnataka Film Industry Development Corporation (KFIDC) had jointly prepared a blueprint of a model film city. But, the KFCC could not get its act together with regard to the project owing to the interplay of personal interests of some persons.

With the passage of time, the Government allocated 10 acres to Adarsha Film Institute, 25 acres to Sri Jayachamarajendra Institute of Technology and 30 acres to the late Protima Bedi's Nritya Gram.

In 1989, the KFCC and the KFIDC prepared a blueprint of a model film city. But the KFCC could not concentrate on the proposed film city project due to lack of consensus among various sections of the film industry. Many interested persons, including actor Ravichandran, had urged the Government to allocate small chunks of land and extend financial assistance for developing their own film cities. Some vested interests in the Kannada cinema industry had openly urged the Government to convert the proposed project area into a "colony of cinema people."

In 1994, the Government again showed interest in the project following the recommendations by the V.N. Subba Rao Committee although nothing concrete emerged thereafter.

In February 2005, the KFCC emphasised the need for an updated blueprint having the future of cinema and the needs of Kannada film industry in mind. Although keen on the project, it was divided over the issue of financial commitments.

In August 2005, on learning about the film industry's renewed interest in the project, the then Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, and the Minister for Information, B. Shivaram, assured the Government's support to the project.

They asked the film industry to present its vision of the proposed film city in concrete terms with clarity.