Film cityzens’ dream run crashes

This incident simply caps a string of events that has dented Film City’s prominence as Bollywood’s apex studio. Says Samanta, “When Film City was started, the government promised to allot pieces of land within the complex to various film makers. In fact, in late 1974, we even gave them the signing amounts. But, till date, neither have we got our piece of land, nor has the government developed the complex.

“And, every time the Managing Director changes, things come to a standstill. Today Film City is an inconvenient place to shoot at — with nothing but open spaces of land. All they have done is add a few new shooting floors,” he adds.

Due to this lack of infrastructure facilities, which exist not just at Film City but at other studios as well — Bollywood has all but shifted base to Southern centres like Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. In fact, several film makers even find foreign locations more economical thanMumbai!

Today, while Film City has virtually been taken over by the TV industry, most other studios, with the notable exception of Filmistan, are finding it increasingly difficult to sustain themselves.

Says producer Nitin Manmohan, “The south is very disciplined and has a sense of cleanliness and aesthetics. The studios are better equipped and the general work output is much better than it is in Mumbai — especially because most stars live here. They have a more laid back attitude while shooting in this city, and they are constantly harangued by local producers and all kinds of people who want to meet them.”

A case in point: First-time producer Yagnesh Shetty, who started his Govinda-Urmila Matondkar starrer Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain in November, has almost wrapped up the project and hopes to release it in June. No mean feat for a film involving Govinda, who, till recently, had the reputation of turning up at 2 pm for a 9 am shift.

Says Shetty, who shot the film in straight schedules atMangalore, “I took most of my technicians, lights and camera equipment from Hyderabad because the costs are much lower than Mumbai. Here you have problems with everything from getting permissions to star dates and hiring labour — the workers’ associations in Mumbai have rigid rules and regulations and they don’t make concessions in rates even if you ask for bulk dates.”

In recent years, Hyderabad has emerged the favourite haunt of film units from Mumbai. Four fantastic studios, studded with exquisite sets, plush shooting floors and state-of-the-art equipment, have drawn several producers, directors and actors to this new city of dreams.

“Producers don’t have to bear the cost of erecting expensive structures since they have readymade sets and bungalows. So all they have to shell out are the shooting charges,” says Samanta. Such is the extent of this exodus, that Hyderabad has at least half-a-dozen film units from Mumbai at any given time.

Several top-ranking producers, directors and actors — fromBoney and Anil Kapoor to David Dhawan, Akshay Kumar and even Govinda — are spending more and more time in Hyderabad. So much so, that Govinda has apparently asked all his producers to start shooting their films there. What remains to be seen is whether this is a passing phase, or the glamour capital of India is actually moving south.

But not everyone believes it is time to hit the panic button yet. Says Yash Chopra, who shot major portions of his last film Dil To Pagal Hai at Mehboob Studio, “I really don’t think this is a major trend, nor is there any kind of exodus from Mumbai. It’s only a matter of preference. Some people might find it convenient to shoot elsewhere.”