Sandalwood may soon have its own Film City. A team of professionals from Bengaluru visited the film city site – Himmavu, located less than 20 km from Mysuru, off National Highway 212 – before making a Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the same.
Aimed at bringing key players in film production, including top-ranking studios, to set up infrastructure for shoots, the Tourism Department has taken steps to fast-track the project after the State government assigned it the task from the Department of Information and Public Relations.
Hoping the film city will spur film tourism, the government recently issued an order asking the Tourism Department to take over the project and realise the same at the earliest. There are plans to develop the film city on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model. Accordingly, the department had started preparing the DPR, roping in a leading professional services firm to do so on its behalf. The team from the firm visited Himmavu and held discussions with tourism officials.
The team will be interacting with Kannada film bodies, including the Chalanachitra Academy, before the finalising the DPR, sources in the department said.
Mysuru and its surroundings, including parts of Mandya district, have over 100 spots where film shooting takes place. Most scenic locations are located within a radius of 15 to 20 km. The government has allotted 110 acres of land to the film city. The site falls under Varuna Assembly Constituency that is represented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. This was the same place where the National Jamboree of Scouts and Guides was held recently where over 25,000 children from across the country participated.
“At present, the Department of Revenue is in possession of the land. The Tourism Department had proposed to take it for developing the film city on lease for a period of 30 years,” a source told The Hindu.
The Film City project has been languishing for many years for want of land. Despite Bengaluru being a nerve centre of the Kannada film world, the government could not locate the land as required for the project around Bengaluru. Mr. Siddaramaiah offered to allot the land at Himmavu.
Though Bengaluru was the hub of Sandalwood, Mysuru is a key centre for film shooting, thanks to its many palaces and the scenic beauty around it.
