Filmfare recently hosted a virtual conclave ‘Filmfare Talkies – Movie destination Uttar Pradesh and the Upcoming Film City’, held by Filmfare Talkies in association with Film Bandhu.

The virtual panel saw luminaries of Indian film industry brought together by Filmfare Editor Jitesh Pillaai for a riveting conversation on Uttar Pradesh being a movie destination and discussing the new film city. The panellists included names like filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, directors Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Neeraj Ghaywan, Amar Kaushik, Rajiv Menon, Amit Sharma, head of Amazon India Originals Aparna Purohit and actress Malavika Mohanan.

The eminent panel agreed the proposed film city has the potential to become a tremendous asset for the Indian film industry. It’ll help turn UP into a movie-making destination and will help showcase UP’s rich and diverse culture across India and the world.

Rajiv Menon, the eminent filmmaker from South, offered up his suggestions towards the proposed venture. “In addition to having a film city, UP should also work towards providing a platform that sees home-grown talent develop along with daily-wage workers finding employment. Collaborating with in-house/local talent helps a great deal in ensuring that the shooting process is hassle-free,” he said. Aparna Purohit offered her insight into the development saying, “Most of the Indian Originals on Amazon have been shot in the cities of Uttar Pradesh because the writers think the state plays important role in the film.’’ Masan fame Neeraj Ghaywan, who had shot his film on the ghats of Varanasi considers himself as an honorary UPite. “About 60 per cent of the locations in ‘Masan’ were from people’s homes. Though I am a Hyderabadi and also a Maharashtrian I also feel I am a UPite.” Malvika Mohanan had shot a film with Rajinikanth in UP and had an interesting anecdote to narrate. “Shooting a movie with Rajni Sir in Tamil Nadu is never an easy task. What we did to overcome this was shoot in Varanasi because its topography is very similar to Tamil Nadu. In situations like such, having a film city can always help.”

Prominent Bengali filmmaker Anirudha Roy Chowdhury, who had shot to fame in Hindi as well thanks to his seminal film on women rights called Pink (2016) emphasised the need for a film school within the film city. “The school will help generate employment not just in that particular state but also for the kids who aspire to contribute to the film industry.”

Filmfare Editor Jitesh Pillaai commented, “The rich culture and heritage that UP prides itself on will receive a much-added boost if the Film City gets built in the years to come. With animation, digital technology and other facilities being the need of the hour, we are all set to embark on a new chapter for the Indian film industry that will have a new film city with state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure at their disposal. Having such eminent names part of a conversation showcases their love for filmmaking and their drive to take the respective film industries in the country and their films to greater heights.”