Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; May 18, 2019)

After years of foreign film crews picking other locations in the country over the capital, Delhi Tourism has decided to reach out to foreign filmmakers by setting up their own booth at Cannes. Officials in Cannes say that while several filmmakers and studios have inquired about shooting in Chandni Chowk and Paharganj, some want to know if the pollution will permit outdoor shoots in the capital.

DELHI BOOTH RECEIVES MAXIMUM QUERIES FOR CHANDNI CHOWK
Delhi Tourism officials say that Delhi is the only Indian state (or UT) being represented at Cannes this year. They add that the booth at India Pavilion it is an endeavor by Delhi Tourism and not in collaboration with the I&B ministry.

Sudhir Sobti, a Delhi Tourism official, says, “We have received maximum inquiries for Chandni Chowk and Purani Dilli. The next most popular places are Lutyens’ Delhi and UNESCO World Heritage sites. Foreign filmmakers have always been interested to shoot in Delhi, but the details have been scarce, so here we are. In fact, the response has been quite overwhelming so far. The industry insiders here still refer to films like Kate Winslet’s Holy Smoke when they talk about locations of Delhi.” The film was shot in 1999 at multiple locations in Delhi including Paharganj.

CONNECTING WITH LOCAL TEAMS, QUERIES ABOUT AIR POLLUTION
Tourism officials say that foreign filmmakers are requesting two facilities – sufficient information available online, and a team that understands how Delhi functions. “We have informed them about the FFO (Film Facilitation Office) which will be taking care of these requirements. Our focus is also on Delhi’s line producers. We are not just here to facilitate film shoots, but we have also offered to connect filmmakers to local line producers to streamline the process,” the officials tell us.

While there have been queries about incentives, Delhi doesn’t provide monetary incentives to any filmmaker (Indian or foreign) for shooting in the city (unlike Jharkhand or UP). However, Delhi Tourism does provide accommodation and travel arrangements. Sobti says, “The purpose of participating in Cannes was to showcase Delhi as an ideal shooting destination. We have been discussing it with filmmakers, the Foreign Film Producers Guilds and Commissions and the response has been quite positive.”

While Delhi Tourism officials are promoting Delhi as a shooting location, apart from shooting logistics they have to also answer pollution-related questions. However, despite the recent deterioration of air quality, the officials seems to assuring filmmakers that all is well. Sobti says, “Yes, there have been a few pollution related queries, but air quality fluctuates.”