Uttarakhand Film industry at its best these days, but transparency needed in Uttarakhand film body !

It has been observed that culture, music, folk songs and dances loving people of Uttarakhand including the new and old generation whether living in the Himalayan state or other parts of the country irrespective of their status are close to regional music, regional films and cultural activities. Their taste for traditional music, local dialects, songs, and dances and love for regional films with serene beauty of Uttarakhand, Himalayas have attracted the indigenous film makers, actors, musicians, lyricists and script writers towards film making in the Himalayan state with rapid speed and many more scripts under process to be converted into regional movies. The initiative taken by successive state governments during the last decade especially during the tenure of the then CM Trivendra Singh Rawat , the film industry of Uttarakhand got a special boost with regional film making seeing a new ray of hope. While we talk of making of good number of regional films in Kumaon and Garhwali dialect which has enhanced tremendously further the credit goes to central government as well as in 2017 Uttarakhand was awarded a status of the most film friendly state under the 66 th National Film Awards and special mention of the film friendly environment by the then union Government. This gave impetus to the state government which initially started a subsidy of Rs 25 lakhs to those producers who will shoot 75% of the film in Uttarakhand under its Film policy with no fee being charged. This 25 lakhs subsidy was announced for regional movies if 75% film is shot in Uttarakhand locations and processed in the state. However now it has been enhanced to Rs 50 lakhs or more. Similarly, for Hindi film producers the government of Uttarakhand has fixed Rs. 1.5 crores as Subsidy provided 75% of the entire film is shot in various serene locations of Uttarakhand and also processed within the state. This policy has witnessed several prominent actors and producers visiting Uttarakhand and shooting their films which hit box office number of times. A highly connected Bollywood actor who had interviewed prime minister Narendra Modi visited Dehradun, Mussoorie and other locations of Uttarakhand, twice during the past months being whole heartedly welcomed by UK CM Pushkar Singh Dhami who even announced him the film ambassador of Uttarakhand, the proposal resisted by many. Anupam Kher and several other actors too visited Dehradun, Haridwar few months ago with regard to their respective films’ shooting in unknown Uttarakhand destinations and also met Rishabh Pant, renowned cricketer of Indian based in Roorkie who was convalescing at Max hospital in the holy town after his severe accident. If we talk of Uttarakhand developing as a Film destination for regional as well as Bollywood n other state movies with state government giving lot of subsidy, today Uttarakhand has grown to become a more than Rs 100 crore industry with the state’s film policy made more faster to give swift clearances to film makers who earlier had lot of complaints and had to approach district magistrates of different districts to seek permission for shooting getting their projects delayed. Now a single window system for clearance has come into place given them tremendous relief reveal sources. Uttarakhandthat came into separate existence in the year 2000, after the first Garhwali film “Jagwal”, produced in 1983 having been shot in Pauri Garhwal’s various locations creating a new record is today home for hundreds of CD films earlier and now for full screen multi colour attractive films with fantastic script, enthralling music, talented actors, trained directors with outstanding talent and serene beautiful locations captured in the movies. During the last decade , especially within past six years Uttarakhand saw a boom in regional films industry with films ( to name a few) like Fyonli, Ghar Jawain, Kabhi Sukh Kabhi Dukh, Kanyadaan, Anjwal, Cholyar, Bhulli Aaye Bhulli, Major Nirala, Khairi Ka Din, Ghaprol, Kanyadaan, Bau Mubarak, Subheru Gham, Bathaun, sequel of Subheru Gham, KEDAR, Meru Gaon, You Kannu Rishta, film on Dhari Devi, Pothli, etc. Most of these films have been box office hit running house full in theatres at state’s capital Dehradun, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand and thereafter in selected theatres of Delhi, NCR, Mumbai, Punjab n other parts of the country drawing a handsome profit. However, the entire regional movies having been shot in various locations of Uttarakhand majority of producers apply for subsidy and avail the benefit to the hilt, preparing a heavy film making budget reveal sources. After the advent of social media, by nature – music loving people of Uttarakhand usually close to their ancestral hometown, traditions and culture including the present generation there have been tremendous publicity and awareness of these new arriving regional films in various theatres of Uttarakhand and metropolises enticing good crowds and every theatres going house full. People were seen going with their traditional musicians like Dhol Damau ( traditional drums) and bagpipers to picture Halls dancing welcoming the audience and enthusing them towards their culture. Apart from these regional films, several box office hit movies of Bollywood were shot in Uttarakhand to name a few viz The Kashmir Files, Batla House, Ajay Devgan starter “Shivaay”, shot at Missouri giving the impression of being in Bulgaria. I vividly remember that several movies of sixties, seventies, eighties n thereafter were also shot in various magnificent location of Uttarakhand with Nainital and Mussoorie being main attractions of the producers. Ram Teri Ganga Mailee, a controversial film produced by eminent film actor and producer, director Raj Kapoor exhibiting Mandakini bathing in pious Ganges in a transparent attire was also shot at Harshil, Uttarkashi, Garhwal and several other serene locations. When MAJOR PART OF a Bollywood movie GHAR KA CHIRAG was shot at Mussoorie before 1982 , the first superstar of Bollywood, Rajesh Khanna was so impressed by the enthralling beauty of Mussourie, that he stayed here for forty two days of course for shooting of this movie. What is important here to note is that due to the film friendly policy of Uttarakhand while there is a expeditious proposal to set up a film city in this Himalayan state presently 1900 or more films , OTT platform movies and advertisement projects are being produced every year in the country and Uttarakhand bags the ten percent share of these shootings in various Uttarakhand locations. The biggest achievement of Uttarakhand is that despite so much of political hulla baloo between the ruling party and the opposition Congress and several scams coming up with lot of media hype, the state has, won the tag of the best film friendly state winning this award from prestigious National Film Awards’ body. However, despite all this, the state government should still emphatically bring transparency in Uttarakhand’s film policy and in the functioning of those dealing with it to encourage the budding filmmakers and those expert in the field ensuring that regional films and all those associated with these endeavours are helped and encouraged to the hilt including promoting and boosting Bollywood film makers as well to earn respect, recognition and money for the wellbeing of the state and promotion and conservation of its cultural heritage.

AUTHOR WITH LITERATEUR AND WRITER RAMESH GHILDIYAL AND MRS CHOUHAN, UTTARAKHANDI ACTRESS AT MERU GAON PREMIER AT ROHINI PVK