Govt. keen on partner for film city venture

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MAY 16. The State Government is scouting for a joint venture partner to develop a well- equipped film city at Hessarghatta, 25 km. from here.

The Minister for Information and Publicity, Prof. B. K. Chandrashekar, told presspersons here today that the film city would come up on a 270-acre plot. The Government's participation in the joint venture would be in the form of land while the private sector partner would have to bring in the necessary funds to develop the film city. The Government would shortly invite bids for the project, he added.

The development of a film city has been on the cards for nearly a decade. The Bangarappa Government, which was keen on providing modern facilities to the film industry, had proposed the film city on the eastern outskirts of Bangalore. The project was shelved by the subsequent governments. Even the 270-acre land at Hessarghatta, now earmarked for the project, is a considerable reduction from what was originally set apart for the project.

Prof. Chandrashekar said that the Union Minister of State for Information, Mr. Arun Jaitley, communicated to him recently that Bangalore had been approved to play host to the International Film Festival tentatively to be held either in the last week December or early next year. The Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, would participate in a meeting to be held shortly to discuss on the preparations for the international festival, he added.

The minister said that the State Government had decided to slash the tax concessions to Kannada films certified as ``not up to the mark in terms of quality and certain other parameters.'' While 100 per cent sales tax concession was hitherto offered to all Kannada films, the films of poor quality would be given a mere 25 per cent concession, he clarified.

A second level of a screening committee would be constituted to go into Kannada films seeking tax concessions, and based on the certification the percentage of tax concession would be approved. Among others, the committee would have the Director of Information and Publicity, a deputy commissioner of police recommended by the Commissioner of Police, Bangalore City, and a senior official of the Commercial Taxes Department. This change in Government policy would be effective from November.

Referring to the subsidy given to Kannada films, Prof. Chandrashekar said it would not be extended to more than 20 films in a calendar year. The B.V. Karanth Committee would continue with the scrutiny of the films eligible for subsidy. However, there would be no bar on shooting of Kannada films outside the State although they would not be eligible for incentives if a large part of the shooting was done outside the State.

The Government recently released Rs. 3 crores towards payment of subsidies to films. Another Rs. 3 crores was due to film producers.

Prof. Chandrashekar said a single-window unit had also been constituted to provide clearance for film shooting. There was no need for film producers to run from pillar to post to obtain permission from the various authorities. The Government's aim was to encourage the production of quality films.

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