It appears that the Kannada film industry’s long cherished dream of having its own film city will be realised soon. But it comes at a price as Bengaluru, the nerve centre of Kannada cinema, has to sacrifice its claim on film city as the government has opted for Mysuru.
The government has identified 100 acres in Immavu village near Mysuru for the purpose of developing film city. Incidentally, Immavu comes under Varuna Assembly segment that is represented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Confirming the identification of land by the Mysuru District Administration, S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu, Chairman, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy said that the project will take a definite shape once the Cabinet approves transfer of land. Mr. Babu observed, “Mysuru is most suitable for developing film city vis-a-vis Bengaluru. Before Bengaluru became the hub of Kannada cinema activities, it was Mysuru which was the centre of film production, thanks to the presence of film studios such as Navajyothi and Premier.”
He urged the government to take possession of the land at the earliest and develop the film city on the Private-Public-Participation (PPP) model. This is expected to be a giant leap in promoting the Kannada film industry. Information Minister Roshan Baig, who has visited Noida Film City in Uttar Pradesh, has expressed a desire to develop a similar state-of-the-art facility in Karnataka. In the past, the D. Devaraj Urs-headed Congress government had allocated 360 acres in Hesaraghatta village near Bengaluru for the project. Despite recommendations by various committees to expedite the project, nothing happened.
