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MUMBAI:
What do these Hollywood blockbusters - Da Vinci Code, Pink Panther,
Munich and Rush Hour 3 have in common? Not only do they owe their
success to excellent film-making, but also attribute its success
to the visually captivating and one of the most splendid landscapes
and architectural masterpieces of France!
Closer
home, Raj Kapoor's 1964 blockbuster hit "Sangam" was the
first Indian movie shot in France, and after the success of Don
and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom more Indian producers are now viewing France
as the next hot Film shoot destination.
 Last
week a delegation of Indian producers visited the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte
d'Azur and Rhônes-Alpes, with the purpose of using France
as a location for their future shoots. Put together for the giants
of the Indian film fraternity by Maison de la France India and Film
France, this was the very first time that the national agencies
for promotion of tourism and film came together to put up such a
project.
This
trip, aptly nicknamed "Sangam Tour" - a tribute to the
1964 masterpiece created by Raj Kapoor, the very first Indian film
shot in France - has enabled these great directors of Indian cinema
to discover PACA and Rhônes-Alpes. After being astonished
with the number of spectacular landscapes of Nice, they then discovered
the regions of Provence, le Lubéron, Lyon and massif of Mont
Blanc. "I didn't expect such diversity in landscapes: The different
number of backdrops which we can use in our films has surpassed
all our expectations. All of us are very tempted", confides
Suresh Laxmanan, producer of the 2007 super hit movie Billa.
"Helping
them discover the regions of Côte d'Azur and the Alpine mountains
has allowed us to broaden the Indian producer's perception of France.
In this manner we will be able to increase the number of Indian
film shootings in France which, in these last few years, were concentrated
only on Paris and Corsica", explains Franck Priot, Deputy Director
of Film France.
While
Niranjan Patwardhan has already made plans to return to France in
August to shoot his next blockbuster -Fashion with leading Bollywood
superstar Priyanka Chopra, Mr. Ravi Gupta, C.E.O of Mukta Arts in
Bombay appreciates the quality of light in the south of France,
and how fast it is to travel from the Mediterranean to the Alps.
"I am convinced that filming in France is economically reasonable
when you consider all that you will be capturing on camera; A rich
heritage of natural and historical landscapes", says Ravi Gupta.
Maison
de la France, the French tourist office in India aims at promoting
France as a tourist destination whereas Film France, a part of the
Ministry of culture strives to popularise France as a filming destination.
The nuptial of cinema and tourism is the very first one of its kind.
"Promoting France to the Indian producers is the current important
project we are working on and which is fundamental for our strategy
in this market. In India, Cinema and Tourism are intimately linked
to each other, every Indian production that is accomplished in France
will increase the tourist inflow in the country", explains
Karim Mekachera, Director of Maison de la France India.
The
Producers Who Visited France:
Mr. Sridhar Viswanathan Lakshmi- Oscar Films Pvt Ltd
Mr. Ravi Gupta - Mukta Arts
Mr. Niranjan R. Patwardhan - UTV Motion Pictures
Mr. Suresh Laxmanan - Ananda Pictures Circuit
Ms. Shenazz Bomanshah Nadirshah - freelance producer representing
Pictures Ltd and Popcorn Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd.
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