Rajendra Singh Babu, noted film director and chairperson of the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, said here on Saturday that for the past eight years he had been trying to set up a film institute in the State on the lines of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, but he had not been able to realise his dream. He added that he would establish the institute if the government provides assistance by way of allotting required land in Bengaluru or Mysuru.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Rajendra Singh Babu said that there was a dire need to set up a film institute in the State. He lamented that those who are interested in film industry have to go to the neighbouring States to pursue a course or undergo training. He recalled an incident wherein he had recommended 10 youngsters from the State for a film workshop conducted by actor Rajnikanth in Chennai.
Mysuru should be the hub of film industry; he said and noted that Film City Project is almost ready. The academy is finalising the project details, he said, adding that identification of suitable land for the shooting and a few other teething problems had delayed the project.
Mr. Babu, who hails from the city, said that Mysuru has long association with film shooting and it is conducive for the entire film industry. He added that shooting of films in Bengaluru had become a horrendous task because of traffic jams.
Mysuru will also be the joint host for the coming international film festival, he said.
Refusing to comment on the dubbing issue, he said that he had never dubbed films nor had he remade films. “So why should I bother”, he added.
H.B. Dinesh, secretary of the academy, and S.R. Prakash, Deputy Director of Information and Publicity Department, and N. Niranjan Nika of the University of Mysore, were present.
