As Bollywood walks on a long road to recovery after the Coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown, the north east is emerging as a hot favourite shooting destination.

If director Anubhav Sinha is navigating a story of a spy with actor Ayushmann Khurrana in Assam, then Amar Kaushik is all set to trace supernatural tale of Bhediya in the wilderness of Arunachal Pradesh with actors Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon.

“While there can never be a positive side to a global pandemic, due to the setback the industry suffered, Bollywood has cemented the fact that India is a shining country when it comes to beautiful locations to shoot,” says producer Bhushan Kumar, who is backing Sinha’s Anek.

Bollywood’s affair with the northeast will continue with Salman Khan also expected to head to Arunachal Pradesh soon for a shoot.

“It is a beautiful unexplored land. The whole land is untouched. We plan to shoot responsibly, without affecting nature at all,” says producer Dinesh Vijan, who’s in Arunachal Pradesh for Bhediya.

Kaushik adds: “We required a background of deep forests, natural habitat and ethnic lifestyle, which Arunachal Pradesh offers in abundance.”

But, going forward will be a bumpy track as the place comes with its own set of challenges, such as lack of properly developed roads and many other logistical issues.

“That is one of the main factors why some of the projects had to be shifted to other locations,” says James Handique, a line producer from northeast.

So, what is contributing to the accelerating momentum? “The first thing is that the region was less affected by the virus, and secondly it is unexplored,” says Handique, who is currently working with Anek team. He adds, “It takes seven days, or maximum 15-20 days to get permission.”

Hopefully, the showbiz glare will also lend in changing the image of the place, and help in dispelling rumours.

“Yes, there are problems with the insurgency but they’ve never targeted tourists or film crews. The Anek team, shooting in a remote part of Assam, is astonished at how supportive the people are. So, the image will change,” he says, adding Meghna Gulzar is expected to shoot her next project in Meghalaya, Assam and Nagaland.