Rajasthan offers sops to boost film shootings

Rajasthan's tourism department has announced various sops to give a boost to film shoots in the state.

"The sops include waiving off the application fee, processing charges and security deposit for shooting films," a senior tourism department official told IANS here on Wednesday.

The department has amended the 'Rajasthan Film Shooting Regulations, 2012' and has offered various incentives to the film industry.

According to a release, the department has completely waived off security deposit of Rs 50 lakh for the filmmakers for a one week schedule and Rs 10 lakh per day beyond one week.

Likewise, the processing charges of Rs 15,000 per day for the first week and Rs 10,000 a day beyond the first week have also been waived.

The new regulations also waived the application fee of Rs 1,000.

Rajasthan, with its rich aroma of history, art, culture, heritage and architecture and its picturesque locations, has always attracted filmmakers from all over the world.

Classics like "Mughal-e-Azam" and "Guide" among others were shot in the state.

Endless scenes of sand dunes, drying chillies and village locations are commonplace for films with a rural setting. Even some of the blockbuster television serials have Rajasthan as their backdrop.

Hollywood has not missed out also. Films like "Octopussy" and "Holy Smoke" are among a number of movies that have been shot here.

--IANS

as/pgh/bg