The Hindu : I&B Ministry plans to woo foreign filmmakers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 13, 2003

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I&B Ministry plans to woo foreign filmmakers

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 12. Keen on capitalising on the geographical diversity of India and marketing the country as an ideal film locale, the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry is pushing for a liberal visa regime that will facilitate foreign producers to shoot here.

The Union Minister of State for I&B, Ravi Shankar Prasad, has already spoken to the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, in this regard. And, according to Mr. Prasad, "Mr. Sinha acknowledges that films can be a major tool of diplomacy". Since liberalising the visa regime is subject to security considerations, Mr. Prasad said all that his Ministry could do was persist with its case.

This apart, Mr. Prasad — who was moved to this Ministry when it was in the midst of a major policy shift vis-a-vis the satellite uplinking policy — hopes to institutionalise film diplomacy and make the country an entertainment hub. With more and more Indian films doing well overseas and several NRI films on hyphenated identities finding an audience across the globe, the Minister was certain that world-renowned producers would pick up Indian themes for their films. "They are running out of story ideas, and the day is not far when they will turn to India for themes. I want us to be ready and willing when that day comes."

As part of the effort to take Indian films worldwide, Mr. Prasad is likely to visit China in the near future.

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