If you’ve seen Delhi in any film or web show in the last one year, chances are that it’s not the city, but a recreated set in Lucknow or some place in Madhya Pradesh. Shooting in the Capital is expensive. Given the soaring costs, we have learnt that many films that were supposed to be shot in Delhi over long schedules are now being moved to other cities.

For instance, actor Aamir Khan’s Delhi schedule for Sitaare Zameen Par has been cut. A source says, “Instead of a month, the team will only shoot in Delhi in July for just 8 to 10 days now.”

On the other hand, actor Janhvi Kapoor’s Ulajh couldn’t make it to Delhi due to budget constraints. “Earlier, it was to be shot in Delhi for around two weeks. But the budget was overshot in London. So, the makers shifted the shoot to Bhopal. They will either recreate Delhi or will base the plot in Bhopal now,” the source adds. Even the Arshad Warsi and Akshay Kumar-starrer Jolly LLB 3 that was supposed to be shot in Delhi is now being shot in Ajmer.

Sharing a break-up of how shooting in Delhi looks like now, a source says that while shooting at the Rajiv Chowk metro station costs Rs. 2 lakh per hour, the international airport costs Rs. 12 lakh for four hours.

A production head, on condition of anonymity, adds: “If you want to shoot at Rajiv Chowk for four hours, Rs. 8 lakh go to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. GST ki baat agar nahin bhi karte hain, tab bhi Rs. 2.36 lakh go to the New Delhi Municipal Council and Rs. 1 lakh to the parking guys. Around Rs. 2 lakh go to the Delhi Police for security. So, you can do the math.”

The insider adds that makers now tell writers to not write a script around Delhi: “The haveli in Chandni Chowk that would earlier cost Rs. 25,000 is now given for Rs. 4 lakh a day.”

A source says, “Delhi is an expensive city. Owners of bungalows have hiked the prices due to the soaring demand. Plus, the hotel costs are high in Delhi. While a stay in a five-star hotel in Delhi would cost Rs. 10,000, in Lucknow, it might cost Rs. 5,000.”

Line producer Navmeet Singh adds, “Hotels and travel are expensive in Delhi, which results in less work here. I am planning to change my centre of work and setting things up for shoots in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.”

The makers of actor Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2 are recreating Delhi in Lucknow. “They shot in Delhi for four days, including India Gate, and then moved to Lucknow for 47 days. At least 20-25 films are being shot in Lucknow, thanks to the subsidies and quick permissions,” a person from the production team says. 

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai’s Nakhrewaalii also followed suit. “The team shot in Lucknow for 40 days and recreated Delhi there. That was cheaper. They wanted to shoot in a bungalow in Barakhamba Road that’d cost them Rs. 1 lakh a day. Aanand got that for Rs. 30,000 in Lucknow,” says the source.

Delhi is among Bollywood’s favourite shoot locations, but there’s a growing sentiment among line producers that the Capital might be losing its shoot-friendly tag, thanks to the escalating costs. “Shooting in Delhi has become too expensive, so only big banners shoot here now. People are now considering Uttar Pradesh, Haryana or Punjab,” says line producer Navmeet Singh.

Over the last few months, several films, including Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, Animal, Paatal Lok, Murder Mubarak, Indian Police Force, 12th Fail and Shehzada, were shot in Delhi. In fact, actors Akshay Kumar and Ananya Panday are currently shooting for their next in the city. Point this out and Singh says that the projects are all backed by big makers.

Line producers say that a four-hour shoot at the Delhi airport costs around Rs. 10 lakhs and filming at the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area costs around Rs. 4 lakhs. In case of historical places, the prices have gone up from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 1 lakh.

Explaining why the prices have soared, a source says, “Since people are aware that Bollywood films have big budgets, they also charge more now.”

However, government sources deny line producers’ claims and say that the shoots are “happening in a steady way with big names coming to the city”.

Recently, during the shoot of Half Girlfriend at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), the college's sports complex was used to shoot an inter-zonal basketball match between two colleges, 'Stevens' and 'Raj Hans'. The film's crew then went on to shoot at St Stephen's and Miranda House as well. A few months ago, Sridevi, Akshaye Khanna and Boney Kapoor turned SRCC's campus into 'Green Field School' for their upcoming movie, Mom.

But Mumbai's colleges, which have been iconic spots for Bollywood feature films and commercials previously, have seen a dip in the recent past. From Kabhi Kabhi Aditi (from Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na) showing off St Xavier's' campus to Amrita Rao and Shahid Kapoor studying in the lawns of Sophia College for Women in Ishq Vishk, not much is seen of them lately.

So while one saw Ranveer Singh singing Tarkeebein (Band Baaja Baaraat) at Hans Raj's basketball court or Ranbir Kapoor singing Jo Bhi Main (Rockstar) under Hindu College's famous Virgin Tree, Mumbai colleges no longer fall under the same category .

ALTERNATE LOCATIONS MAIN REASON FOR THE DIP
Filmmakers now have more options to shoot in other parts of the country. Manishh Mehra, a line producer from Delhi tells us that the trend of shooting in DU started with Band Baaja Baaraat, which was shot at Hans Raj College and Ramjas College in 2010. “Earlier, when someone wanted to shoot in Delhi, they went to places like India Gate and Red Fort. With Band Baaja..., big stars entered DU to shoot, and soon, others followed suit. Many scripts from then on were written keeping DU in mind,“ he says.

Ravi Sarin, another line producer, adds, “In the past three-four years, DU has become a popular spot to shoot films in. Mumbai is comparatively expensive, and if someone wants to show Delhi, directors choose DU. No one comes only to shoot in colleges but also nearby places.“

STUDENTS GETTING DISTRACTED, SECURITY CONCERNS OTHER REASONS
Due to colleges buzzing with activities at all times, it becomes a lot more difficult to shoot. So while IIT-Bombay, which is known for its sprawling campus, is approached quite frequently, the institute keeps away from commercial shoots, apart from documentaries. Falguni Banerjee Naha, PRO, IIT Bombay, says, “Since most commercial movie shoots take place at night when students are either studying or sleeping, we do not want them to be disturbed or distracted. Vrooming cars, bright lights and song and dance are avoided. Security issue is another concern. We only allow documentaries that promote education or have a social message. In fact, for a recent documentary shoot, the makers had a tie-up with our Industrial design centre and students, too, were a part of the project. We don't mind collaborating on such projects wherever students get to learn the aesthetics of filmmaking. We don't even charge them.“

Navmeet Singh, a line producer from Delhi adds, “While colleges like SRCC, Hindu, Hans Raj and Miranda House are the most shooting-friendly colleges, they want to make sure that the institute's reputation is not maligned. St Stephen's didn't allow shoots before, and even now when they allow them, the authorities are very picky. They think that hostellers will get disturbed because of us,“ he says.

GUIDELINES SET BY COLLEGE AUTHORITIES FOR SHOOTS
Despite the increasing number of shoots happening in DU, not everyone gets the permission to shoot in colleges. “We got two proposals for film shoots last year, but we said no. We are renovating our infrastructure, and were apprehensive about letting them shoot in case the crew damages the renovated structure. Also, I was appointed last year only, so I did not allow any shoot. We might allow shoots later, but not right now,“ says Dinesh Khattar, acting principal, Kirori Mal College, Delhi.

R P Rustagi, acting principal, SRCC, adds, “Though the college only provides the space for shoot, there are some details that we take in writing from them, like which area they will shoot in. We also ask about the number of people (cast and crew) they will bring. It is also mentioned beforehand that no fixed property of the college should be harmed during the shoot. We don't allow outsiders inside the campus. We never let them shoot on our working days, so they are only here on Sundays or during the summer break.“

Colleges also prefer to know the background of the movie before allowing a shoot in the college premises. Javed Khan, a line producer, says, “College authorities generally put conditions like there should be no damage to their property. They sometimes read the script to make sure that there is nothing against the college or anything that can create a controversy. One problem we faced during Mom's shoot was that the student union bodies asked us to show the script. But nothing happened during Half Girlfriend's shoot.“

MUMBAI COLLEGES NOT GUNG-HO
Some parts of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Ferrari Ki Sawaari were shot in the University of Mumbai's (MU) premises. M A Khan, registrar of MU, says, “A few years back Wilson college received flak for renting their campus for shoot while HSC exams were on. But of late, most colleges do not allow shoots to take place since they tend to get extended. According to the management's discretion, they can give it on a Sunday or later, post lecture timings. Students tend to get attracted to celebs and teachers also complain about attendance issues. The case for cultural movies and documentaries is different. Institutes in other cities allow shoots since it a business for them. But if the revenue is used for the betterment of students, it shouldn't be much of a concern.“

LITTERING, SHARING & MORE: JAB CAST & CREW BECOME A PART OF THE CAMPUS
During a movie shoot in SRCC, we overheard a guard saying, 'Main nahi khol raha yeh park. Yahan aake sab kha ke chale jayenge aur ganda kar denge. Saaf kaun karega?' (referring to the junior artists who were having lunch). Hostellers from Miranda House, where Half Girlfriend was being shot, also say that littering is an issue.

Dr V I Katchi, principal, Bhavan's College in Mumbai, adds, “The academic ambiance of the college is disturbed. Many a times, the team hires things but don't clean it up. Script papers, and other materials used during the shoot is left as is. They also damage properties, leave the garden in a mess and so, we only give permission to our students who want to shoot short films in the premises.“

On the brighter side, though, the canteen makes profits during shoots. Sanjeev Kumar, who runs a coffee stall in Miranda House, says that his sale went up by 50 per cent when Half Girlfriend was being shot in the lawns near his stall. “Waise toh vacation ke time sale zyada nahi hoti, par inki shooting ki wajah se meri sale 50 per cent zyada ho gayi thi. Scene karke kaafi log jaldi se cold coffee peene aa jaate thay,“ he says.