Showing posts with label Trivendra Singh Rawat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trivendra Singh Rawat. Show all posts
Baadhai Do: Uttarakhand is turning into Hollywood of the Himalayas
8:43 AM
Kautilya Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 4, 2022)
You’d be mistaken if you thought that the last 10 minutes of the Ajay Devgn-starrer ‘Shivaay’ was actually shot in Bulgaria. It was in fact a prominent hotel in Mussoorie. And if you were fooled into believing that John Abraham’s ‘Batla House’ had shots of the Pilibhit market near the India-Nepal Border, no one would blame you.
It was filmed near the Mall Road and Library Chowk of the town that overlooks Dehradun. In fact, even ‘The Kashmir Files’ did not have actual shots of Lal Chowk in Srinagar. Those were shot at locations across Uttarakhand, which is emerging as a prime destination for filmmakers with its picturesque landscapes, speedy clearances, and low costs.
The number of projects – including for ad shoots, web series, and movies – filmed in the state rose from just 15 in 2015 to 217 in 2021, with many choosing the hill state instead of other exotic but expensive locations abroad. Just in the first half of 2022, the number was 98.
According to the Uttarakhand Film Development Council (UFDC), there are roughly 1,800 to 1,900 films, advertisements, and web series being made in the country each year. Uttarakhand now snags over a tenth of the total projects and its share is growing, the data shows. What’s more, in the last five years, Uttarakhand has on three occasions bagged the ‘Best Film Friendly State’ award at the National Film Awards.
On the other hand, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, which is also a Himalayan state, granted permission for only 43 shoots in the 2020-21 financial year comprising 18 web series, 14 ads, and 11 movies. Uttarakhand has actively sought to attract filmmakers from across the country. In 2017, the state government stepped up its campaign to promote the film sector. The then CM Trivendra Singh Rawat personally met top production houses and assured them of assistance for their projects, highlighting how shooting in Uttarakhand would be an economical option.
“The film sector in Uttarakhand has grown to become a Rs 100-crore industry. To get there, the council first carried out a case study on the ‘Student Of The Year 2’ movie,” said Kalam Singh Chauhan, the former nodal officer of UFDC who played a key role in attracting production crews to the state.
“Their entire team was in Uttarakhand for 55 days and the estimated expense was Rs 14 crore. While locals landed employment opportunities, the crew made big savings as the costs would have been three-to-four times higher had the location been some place abroad.”
The state’s film policy was also changed to make way for faster clearances. Earlier, a filmmaker had to approach individual district magistrates for permission to shoot. Now, a single-window system is in place for clearances. Among other benefits, the government offered subsidies to filmmakers who shot over 75% of their projects in Uttarakhand. Subsidies were also provided for films made in regional languages and local dialects.
The outcome of these efforts can be seen in several ‘A-listers’ of the industry making a beeline for the state. Rajkummar Rao-starrer ‘Badhaai Do’, Shahid Kapoor’s ‘Kabir Singh’ and ‘Batti Gul Meter Chalu’, and Alia Bhatt’s ‘Sadak’ were all shot in the state.
“We don’t face hassles in obtaining permission to shoot. The state has turned into a favoured shooting destination,” said filmmaker Harshavardhan Kulkarni, who wrapped up shooting for his movie ‘Badhaai Do’ some months back.
Filmmaker Kunal Shamshere Malla said, “Be it permissions or other approvals, everything was hassle-free. The shooting scenario in Uttarakhand has improved greatly over the years.”
Happy with the hill state’s performance, the information department has mooted a proposal for a ‘Film City’ in Dehradun. A project with infrastructure and other facilities is in the pipeline and the state government is likely to make a major announcement by the end of the year.
Senior IAS officer and director general of information, Ranveer Singh Chauhan, told TOI, “At a recent meeting, we took a call to identify suitable land for the proposed film city, which will also have a ‘film training centre’. The growth has been phenomenal and this can turn out to be a major employment sector for our youth. ”
Karan Razdan wraps up the shoot of Hindutva in Uttarakhand in 40 days
8:12 AM
Ashish Sharma with director Karan Razdan on set
Despite being a fictional tale, the film picks from the events that transpired during the abrogation of Article 370, and the establishing of the CAA. It also features singer Anup Jalota and Dipika Chikhalia
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; April 25, 2021)
Karan Razdan’s Hindutva deals with youth politics, in the current scenario. The director, who wrapped up filming in Uttarakhand over 40 days, and only days before the Kumbh Mela began, says, “With this film, I am addressing the youth. The hero, [Ashish Sharma] is a pujari’s son, who showcases what Hindutva means for him, through his actions.”
Despite being a fictional tale, the film picks from the events that transpired during the abrogation of Article 370, and the establishing of the CAA. It also features singer Anup Jalota and Dipika Chikhlia Topiwala. “Anup plays the pujari’s father, and he has sung a bhajan in the film. While it’s not a lengthy role, it’s a crucial one. Dipika plays a guru maa.”
A mahurat held in the presence of Trivendra Singh Rawat, the then CM of Uttarakhand, was held in February. “We have shot the movie in Rishikesh, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Devprayag, Haridwar and Roorkee in 40 days. It was a surreal experience. I consider myself and my unit fortunate that we could complete the shoot within a short time.”
Sanjay Dutt will be anti-drug campaign face for 6 states, 1 Union territory
8:08 AM
Kautilya Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 2, 2018)
Dehradun: Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday said that actor Sanjay Dutt will be the brand ambassador for anti-drug campaign for six states and a Union territory. These include the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Delhi and the Union territory of Chandigarh.
Rawat said that he had a telephonic conversation with the Bollywood actor and he has given his consent for the campaign. “Dutt said that he had himself suffered due to drug addiction during the initial stage of his acting career. He was more than happy to offer his support to the anti-drug campaign. The actor claimed that he was willing to make his contribution by being a part of the campaign and become its ambassador,” the chief minister added.
Recently, Rawat was in Mumbai where he met a number of Bollywood directors, including Mukesh Bhatt and Vishal Bharadwaj. Though he could not meet the ‘Vaastav’ star “as he was shooting for a movie somewhere”, the CM had a telephonic conversation with him. Rawat was also in Chandigarh recently to attend a regional conference — which also had the presence of his counterparts from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi. As a part of the strategy, these states intend to launch a large scale awareness campaign about the ill-effects of drugs and how to keep children away from it.
At the August 20 meeting, attended by four CMs Trivendra Singh Rawat, Amarinder Singh, Manohar Lal Khattar and Jairam Thakur, and representatives of Rajasthan and Delhi, it was decided to have a centralized secretariat at Panchkula, where nodal officers of each state would be posted for sharing information and planning strategy. The chief ministers have also decided to meet every six months to review the progress of the campaign.
Dehradun: Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday said that actor Sanjay Dutt will be the brand ambassador for anti-drug campaign for six states and a Union territory. These include the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Delhi and the Union territory of Chandigarh.
Rawat said that he had a telephonic conversation with the Bollywood actor and he has given his consent for the campaign. “Dutt said that he had himself suffered due to drug addiction during the initial stage of his acting career. He was more than happy to offer his support to the anti-drug campaign. The actor claimed that he was willing to make his contribution by being a part of the campaign and become its ambassador,” the chief minister added.Recently, Rawat was in Mumbai where he met a number of Bollywood directors, including Mukesh Bhatt and Vishal Bharadwaj. Though he could not meet the ‘Vaastav’ star “as he was shooting for a movie somewhere”, the CM had a telephonic conversation with him. Rawat was also in Chandigarh recently to attend a regional conference — which also had the presence of his counterparts from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi. As a part of the strategy, these states intend to launch a large scale awareness campaign about the ill-effects of drugs and how to keep children away from it.
At the August 20 meeting, attended by four CMs Trivendra Singh Rawat, Amarinder Singh, Manohar Lal Khattar and Jairam Thakur, and representatives of Rajasthan and Delhi, it was decided to have a centralized secretariat at Panchkula, where nodal officers of each state would be posted for sharing information and planning strategy. The chief ministers have also decided to meet every six months to review the progress of the campaign.
Taking a cue from UP, Uttarakhand government eases filming process for Mahesh Babu starrer
7:57 AM
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 27, 2018)
Following in the footsteps of neighbouring state Uttar Pradesh, the Uttarakhand government has been taking measures to facilitate a smooth filming process in a bid to attract filmmakers to the state.
Close on the heels of measures taken by the government to simplify process for makers of Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer, Batti Gul Meter Chalu, the authorities have lent a helping hand to South superstar Mahesh Babu’s next. mid-day has learnt that Mahesh 25, also featuring Pooja Hegde, is being shot in Dehradun, with local authorities ensuring the filming process is a smooth sailing one for the crew.
A source says, “The local police and district administration are constantly helping the crew with necessary permissions to shoot in the area, apart from administering the traffic, often even cordoning off parts of towns for the shoots.”
The crew, which commenced filming on June 18, was also in for a surprise when Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat paid them a visit on the set. “Rawat saab came by and spent time on the set, even discussing the next schedule of the movie.” Hegde reveals that the interaction took place on the first day of filming in Dehradun. “We had the honour and privilege of interacting with the honourable CM. He gave us his best wishes and offered help in any possible way.” The first schedule concludes on July 6, following which, the team will head to the United States, where significant portions of the film will be shot.
It is evident that the government is taking several steps to make Uttrakhand a favourable place for filmmakers, given that, only last week, Rawat stated that Batti Gul Meter Chalu, which was primarily shot in Tehri, would be exempted from tax.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat gives the mahurat clap for Batti Gul Meter Chalu
8:28 AM
DNA (February 11, 2018)
Shahid Kapoor’s Batti Gul Meter Chalu, which deals with the burning issue of electricity thefts across India, received a power boost two days ago with the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat giving the mahurat clap. Later, the Bollywood superstar spent time sharing pleasantries with the CM.
The picturesque Northern state will be the location for this social drama that has some fabulous twists and turns. Incidentally, one hears from close sources that Shahid is the solo hero in the project. An insider says, “There is going to be another actor in the film because it involves a love triangle between him, Shahid and Shraddha Kapoor. But it’s definitely not a parallel lead. The makers are looking to ‘cast an actor and not a star for that role’. Yami Gautam is in a special appearance. She plays a lawyer who helps Shahid on his mission to stop the power-theft and crack down on the defaulters.”
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