Over the last few years, the I&B Ministry’s efforts to make film shooting an easier and more seamless experience for foreign filmmakers seems to have paid off, with India becoming an increasingly popular shooting destination with foreign filmmakers. Even as the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) — which comes under the ministry — collaborates with states and central agencies to ensure timely permissions for film shoots of foreign projects — this year, at Cannes, the India Pavilion will focus on positioning India as the ‘Content Hub Of The World’ and establishing international partnerships in film shooting, distribution, co-production, and more.

As a result, while the pandemic may have put a temporary pause on foreign shoots, post reopening, several series and movies from across the world are lined up for shoot in India in the coming months. In addition to this, post-July, over 10 Hollywood and other foreign projects will be shot in India, say line producers.

Rahul Singh, a line producer who recently shot the Czech film Two Words As A Key in India, says, “We filmed in Varanasi, in hilly areas, at railway platforms and in trains. Broadly, for foreign filmmakers, prime Indian locations are — Varanasi, Delhi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Spiti, Jaipur-Jodhpur and snow-capped mountains of Kashmir.”

A producer adds, “A few upcoming projects will also be shot in cities such as Kanpur and Bhopal, where foreign filmmakers intend to create the Bombay of 60s-70s. While metros have undergone massive changes, these small towns have retained that look, so they are preferred for such projects.”

Deborah Benattar, Indian producer of several French films such as The Best Is Yet To Come, Animal (a French documentary, shot in Mumbai, which was one of Cannes Film Festival 2021’s selections), Fahim (shot in Kolkata), Maya (in Goa), says, “We just completed the shoot of a French film, The Braid, in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. As far as we know, it was the first foreign feature film shot in India after foreign filmmakers were allowed to shoot in India amid the pandemic, and we had around 120 cast and crew members. The film has been shot at three railway stations. A special train was also booked for the shoot. Before the pandemic hit, the Swiss film And Tomorrow You Will Be Dead was filmed in Rajasthan in February and March 2020. We created Pakistan in Rajasthan.”

Tanvi Gandhi, an independent film producer, who recently finished an Estonian production, Wait Of Light, a film on ragpickers in Delhi, says, “I took permissions through the FFO and was pleasantly surprised by how smooth it was. I was getting follow-up emails and calls from Delhi Tourism, and it was quite a great experience. When foreign filmmakers come to India, their shoot is specific to the script. Often, they want to show locations that the global audience can identify India with — be it backwaters, rural spaces and places through which they can show the beauty of the country.”

Indian producers point out that foreign filmmakers, be it big-budget producers or those with modest budgets, have always been inclined to shoot in India as the country offers a variety of shoot locations. And now, with a relatively easier process, they are also recreating other foreign locales, like Tibet, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, in India.

Tanvi Gandhi, an independent film producer, says, “The sand dunes of Afghanistan can be recreated in Rajasthan’s deserts. If shot smartly, some areas of Himachal and Kashmir can be shown as European countries. The rough terrain of Ladakh can be recreated as Tibet, as in the case of the French film To The Top. Even the dense forests of the northeast can be shown as southeast Asia.”

Pravesh Sahni, Indian producer of several international projects, adds, “We have recreated Pakistan in Chandigarh and Patiala for films like Zero Dark Thirty, where we even recreated US Embassy’s building in Pakistan. In recent years, for Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction, Bangladesh was recreated in Ahmedabad. Our job is to find identical locations, and then the art department creates signage and the look.”

Line producers point out that while airport permissions remain a bottleneck for foreign projects, filming in India has become easier even in areas where permissions were difficult earlier. Back in 2011, a train sequence — which included a scene on top of a moving train — for the James Bond film Skyfall couldn’t be shot in India because of issues between the production team and the Indian Railways.

Pravesh Sahni, Indian producer of several international projects, says, “The Indian railways is a unique entity in itself, and foreign productions often want to include a few shots of railways. Lately, the permission in railways has become quite easy, which was not the case before.”