A NEVER DYING DREAM
(By Suraj Raina)
“ WHEN WE CONCEIVE A FILM … WE CONCEIVE A DREAM,
WHEN WE WRITE THE FILM …… WE VISUALISE THE DREAM,
WHEN WE MAKE THE FILM ……. WE CREATE THE DREAM
AND FINALLY
WE PEOPLE WATCH THE FILM….. THEY LIVE THE DREAM”
Though all the above stages of producing a film are integral to a film project, yet the production stage is considered to be the most important, vulnerable and subjected to different vagaries . This is the stage which sucks the budget most and this is the stage during which even the biggest film makers look for support from their families, their friends, the crew, the locals at the shooting location and of course the government.
Keeping the business potential of a good film in view, the government creates an ecosystem congenial to the requirements of film production and that is exactly what the J&K Film Policy has been conceived for. It provides support for all weather shooting location hunting and thereafter a hassle free resolution for getting all the required permissions by a single window clearance system. It provides preferential booking in the government accommodation (hotels, huts etc.) on much reduced rates. It provides information about infrastructure and availability of the equipment at the nearest point. The film maker can also access the department wise data of the talent from the local data bank created for the purpose and his convenience .
It is a well known fact that a large number of films suffer at different stages of production and face closure due to financial strains resulting in huge losses to the film maker and to the industry. To take care of this problem the J & K Film Policy provides significant subsidy under different heads which really is a boon for the film maker. 50 % subsidy on the artists’ remuneration if they are drawn from the local talent pool or belong to the Union Territory of J & K and are given prominent characters to play is quite meaty for the local actors. Similarly 50% subsidy on accommodation if most portion of the film is shot in the Union Territory is yet another big attraction for the film maker to come to the J & K U T and utilize the legendary and breath taking back drop for shooting their films. The visibility of these locations in the film registers in the visual memory of the audience and soon such locations find place in the tourist map of the country. Here I would like to quote my own experience when I visited Ladakh a few years ago. Though our shooting was to be done in and around Leh only yet we made it a point to visit Pangong lake to find the spot where Amir Khan had shot his sequence to meet his old classmate and Kareena Kapoor. We fixed our camera and tried to capture almost the same frame as we had seen in the film 3 Idiots. Another example is Mashobra Valley near Shimla in Himachal Pradesh where Mithun Ckaravorty had shot his all time hit song “Tum se milkar na jane kyu….” Mashobra valley which was an unknown place earlier turned into a famous tourist destination soon after the song was shot. Such examples are numerous but breath taking should not be understood as the exteriors only. The interiors here are equally exotic. Who doesn’t remember the hut in Gulmarg wherein the hit song “ Hum tum ek kamre mei band ho jayen….” Was shot by the legendary film maker Raj Kapoor. The hut later became famous as “Bobby Hut” an additional tourist attraction in the famous tourist spot. The interiors here in the UT are reflective of the rich cultural ethos and tradition of royalty and magnanimity. If we talk of famous TV serial “Gul Gulshan Gulfaam” then certainly the scenes shot in the house boats in the Dal lake looked more authentic than those which were shot on sets created to match the original. The difference is clear and vivid. By shooting the film at the original locations be it out doors or the indoors, a film maker can save a lot of money which they have otherwise to spend on creating look alike sets.
Keeping this all and many other aspects in view ( for complete details on facilities and subsidies, please refer to the J & K Film Policy available on the website of the DIPR J & K) the policy makers have done a commendable job. Though making comparison is never a good idea yet if one studies the film policy of the neighboring states, the J & K Film Policy is several notches up in all respects. A generous budget of Rs. 100 crore annually till 2026 should be able to pitch the local film industry deeply in the Union territory and provide enough strength to stand on its own post 2026. The subsidies may not be possible to be continued for ever, therefore for the sustenance of the industry without subsidy certain aspects could be rejigged into the current film policy to make it more feasibly and extend its ambit. For example if at least 25% of the annual budget is reserved for the local film makers for subjects/themes related to the J & K U T exclusively and disbursed to them on the pattern of NFDC wherein scripts are approved after proper screening and a certain portion of the approved budget is released in favour of the film maker helping him to take off the project smoothly. The budget can be released at different stages of the production which can ensure the completion of the project and successful submission to the DIPR (J & K ). The rights of such films shall remain with the department and the film maker should be able to draw the final instalment of the approved budget after the submission and approval of the final film by the concerned authorities. For this modus operandi , the quality check & control is a must and has to be strictly followed without any compromise.
If this aspect is included in the existing film policy, it can have tremendous impact on the local film industry. This step can revive the industry instantly which is almost non-existent at the moment. It is pertinent to mention here that big regional film industries like the Tamil, Telegu, Malyali, Bangla, Oriya or the Kannad could not have sustained if the local film makers would not have been brought in and properly supported. Today these regional films are doing big business and are producing big film stars, directors or cinematographers etc. who finally make their mark in Bollywood or the main stream cinema.
The reservation and allocation of the said budget in the manner as explained above can actually sow the seeds for a future budding regional film industry in the union territory of J & K and bring it to fruition for all times to come. The dreams of the policy makers, the dreams of the local film makers and all those who are associated with the trade need to be supported because dreams create a hope and hope sustains life. Therefore these dreams should never be allowed to die.
[ The author is a film maker from the valley and has worked on different genres for over 30 years. The views expressed here are his personal with no bias for all concerned. He can be contacted on [email protected]]
