Stop shoots: CP traders

Aisha”, “Rockstar”, “Three Idiots”, “Mere Brother Ki Dulhan” and now “Agent Vinod”, and so many other films have been shot at Connaught Place, but Delhi’s iconic marketplace may no longer make it to the big screen, if the New Delhi Traders’ Association (NDTA) has its way.
The association has raised its voice against movies being shot in CP as they claim it results in inconvenience and loss of revenue.Post the shooting of “Agent Vinod” last month, the CP association has become increasingly vocal about shootings. Its president, Atul Bhargav, tells TOI that they’re ready to go to any lengths to stop the shootings, which includes meeting the CM and the lieutenant governor. Meanwhile, the association has convinced the NDMC that units wanting to shoot in CP must obtain permission from the traders’ association first, even if they have clearances from the civic body, Delhi Police and the Traffic Police.
Trouble apparently began last year with the shooting of “Mere Brother Ki Dulhan”. The crew promised that the shoot would be over before customers came, but it continued till much later, resulting in a traffic jam. “That’s when we decided that we’ve suffered enough”, says Bhargav, “These people come to shoot, and then block the area, resulting in loss of lakhs of rupees to shopkeepers. With “Agent Vinod” especially, we faced so much trouble. We’re ready to go to any lengths to stop shootings from happening here.”
This stance hasn’t been taken to kindly by those whose work revolves around shootings. We contacted Ravi Sarin and Vinod Talwar, who have been handling the line production and shooting for “Agent Vinod”, and Sarin told us, “I’ve shot 17-18 films in the area, and have never faced any issues. It’s only after “Mere Brother Ki Dulhan” that shooting here became a problem. The NDMC has told us that we now need to take permission from NDTA for shooting in CP.”
But Talwar, who has been getting shootings done in Delhi for over 15 years now, is not amused. He says, “This proposition is completely illogical. In every way, Delhi benefits from movies being shot here. As opposed to earlier decades when we sent 3-4 prints of Bollywood movies abroad, now at least 2,000 are sent. Imagine how many people see India’s capital and its beauty through our movies. The entire world invites us to shoot movies and give us tax rebates so that Bollywood can promote their tourism, and we are facing problems in shooting in our own country, and our own capital! The association says they face losses, but what about the 400-500 odd people we give employment to when we shoot? I don’t understand this logic. CP is one place that every tourist and Indian associates with Delhi. Why shouldn’t it be visible in Delhi movies?”
While Bhargav says he buys this logic, the association is not ready to accept losses that shopkeepers incur. He says, “We are okay if they want to shoot at night – they can do so after 10pm and till early morning. But not after that. Perhaps they can even do so on Sundays till noon when customers start coming in. But not anytime else. And if they really want to shoot, then let them compensate the shopkeepers for all the losses they incur due to the shooting. No one wants to do that. So, we won’t allow any shootings. I'll meet the CM soon in this regard. We want to find a solution soon.”
With inputs from Ranjit Kumar