MP govt amends film tourism policy to attract investments through cinema

Madhya Pradesh updates its film tourism policy, offering new incentives for films, web series and infrastructure to attract investment and position the state as a major filming hub

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With an aim to make Madhya Pradesh the next filming hub and tourism destination in India, the state on Wednesday announced several incentives for content across various formats being shot in the state, along with up to Rs 90 crore in financial incentive for film-related infrastructure development.

 

Under this, feature films shot in the state will be eligible for incentives of up to Rs 2 crore or 25 per cent of the cost of production, or 75 per cent of the expenditure incurred within Madhya Pradesh, whichever amount is lower, Sheo Shekhar Shukla, IAS, additional chief secretary, department of home, tourism and culture, government of Madhya Pradesh said at the state’s round table discussion in Mumbai. Web series and TV shows, serials will be eligible for an incentive of up to Rs 1.5 crore or 25 per cent of cost of production (COP), while documentary shooting will have up to Rs 40 lakh incentive or up to 50 per cent of its COP. Short films will be eligible for benefits of up to Rs 15 lakh or up to 50 per cent of its COP, and for international projects, it will be up to $1.3 million or Rs 10 crore or up to 10 per cent of expenditure on filming in the state.

 

Another criterion for these is that at least 75 per cent of the content’s total shooting days should be in Madhya Pradesh.

 

“We have also adopted a ‘single-window system’ for film-shooting permissions, which is also incorporated under the Public Service Guarantee Act,” said Shukla, adding that additional grants will be offered to films that highlight regional languages, including Malwi, Bundelkhandi, Baghelkhandi, Nimadi, Gondi, Bhili, Korku, among others, under its Madhya Pradesh Film Tourism Policy 2020 (Amended 2025).

 

For film-related infrastructure, the state will provide financial incentives of up to 30 per cent, or an amount of up to Rs 90 crore. On the sidelines of the round table discussion, Shukla told Business Standard that the state considers film tourism as a core strategy for promoting the state and infrastructure generation related to film as an investment. For this, anyone who creates an infrastructure before and after the film, or related infrastructure, is given financial incentives and land parcels. The state has reserved a total of 500 acres of land for film-based infrastructure development. Other financial incentives include up to 25 per cent, or a maximum of up to Rs 75 lakh, for single-screen construction in the state, and up to 25 per cent, or a maximum amount of up to Rs 50 lakh, for upgrading existing cinema halls.

 

This comes at a time when several states are focused on attracting filmmakers to shoot films or series in their state, while the central government is focusing on increasing the country’s soft power through entertainment as it becomes one of the largest economies in the world. On Monday, global streaming giant Netflix and the Ministry of Tourism announced a partnership to integrate select travel destinations into Netflix India’s original storylines, ensuring creative alignment and tourism promotion.

 

Given that several films like Akshay Kumar’s Padman, Maddock Films’ Stree, Lapata Ladies, and this year’s India’s Oscar entry movie Homebound, to web series like Panchayat have been shot in Madhya Pradesh, Shukla noted that this content going out to the international domain is taking Madhya Pradesh and its tourism potential to a global stage. Chanderi, for example, where Stree was shot, saw a 260 per cent rise in annual tourist inflow since the film’s release in 2018.

 

“We are open to any such idea (partnership), as streaming platforms are very important for us. We would like to have a joint venture with streaming platforms so that our content reaches a maximum number of eyeballs,” he added.