Gujarat calling Bollywood!

Often, we have noticed that once a film is shot in a particular location, other filmmakers follow suit. The latest destination seems to be Gujarat — which features in at least five upcoming movies — Abhishek Kapoor’s screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s book, Three Mistakes Of My Life, Tigmanshu Dhulia’s sequel to Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, Vishal Bhardwaj’s next with Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma, Indra Kumar’s Grand Masti and Nikhil Dwivedi’s next action romance with Richa Chadda are all being shot there.
That’s not all. A considerable portion of Vivek Oberoi’s upcoming Sher (tentatively titled) will be shot in Porbandar. Buzz is that the climax of Arbaaz Khan’s Dabangg 2 will be shot in Pawagadh, near Vadodara. A team from Akshay Kumar and Himesh Reshammiya’s joint production has also visited Ahmedabad for a recce.
Why Gujarat?
So what makes Gujarat a hot destination? Says a filmmaker, “For the facilities it is offering our producers and directors.” Chief Minister Narendra Modi is wooing Bollywood. Recently, Himesh met Modi to discuss plans of starting music schools here. Talk is that Indra Kumar and his producer partner Ashok Thakeria are planning to set up a studio and an entertainment park here.
Modi’s masterplan
Kumar confirms this saying they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gujarat government and marked a place, but declines to reveal more. He is forthcoming about shooting Grand Masti here, though, “We met Mr Modi and he assured us of all the help, facilities and infrastructure we require to shoot. When the government responds quickly and offers that kind of cooperation, a filmmaker feels secure about shooting here.”
Great locations
A well-placed executive in the Gujarat Ministry of Culture says that what works in the favour of the state is its proximity to Mumbai. “Apart from a huge air strip, well-connected roads, Gujarat has the maximum number of heritage sites. We are able to offer filmmakers new locations and better services,” he elaborates.
The big b effect!
Parth Rawal, a legal professional in the state, attributes this to the Vibrant Gujarat campaign. “Amitabh Bachchan’s commercials as the brand ambassador of the Gujarat to promote tourism also upped the state’s attraction to filmmakers.” He adds that even Bhojpuri films are being shot there.
No political trouble
Another reason Bollywood directors are preferring Gujarat is that there they won’t be trouble by representatives of Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirmaan Sena, while shooting with foreigners. Producer Ratan Jain had to pay to pacify Shiv Sainiks who had stormed the sets of Tezz when he used a couple of foreigners to pose as cops in a scene he was shooting last year.
If only the Maharashtra government did something to make lives easier for the entertainment industry, they wouldn’t be looking for options in the neighbouring state.
Films Previously Shot in Gujarat
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam: Gondal, Mandvi
Lagaan: Mandvi
Border, Refugee: Rann of Kutch
Ab Toh Ban Ja Sajanya Hamra (Saira Banu’s Bhojpuri film): Rajpipla, Vadodara
Sooryavansham: Palanpur, Ahmedabad