From the pristine stretch of beaches, the azure Bay of Bengal to the natural charm of Eastern Ghats and surrounding picturesque valleys, Visakhapatnam has wooed film units from not only the Telugu film industry but also from other neighbouring states like West Bengal.
The latest film shooting taking place in the city is Lakshmi Raave Maa Intiki , starring popular television actor Avika Gor and Naga Shaourya.
The film is being produced by Mamidipalli Giridhar and directed by Nandyala Ravi. The film crew has dropped anchor in the city for the next 10 days, and will be shooting the final scenes of the film before it hits the theatres next month.
“We have shot 40 per cent of the film in Vizag and most of the indoor shootings were done in Hyderabad,” Giridhar told The Hindu .
Being produced with a total budget of Rs. 3 crore, the film will be Avika Gor’s second Telugu film after she made her debut with Uyyala Jampala .
The film crew that arrived here on Wednesday morning has been busy shooting at R.K. Beach.
“The support from government officials and the Police Department in the city has been very encouraging. The processes and permissions for the film shooting were done very smoothly. This will definitely encourage more filmmakers to come down here,” said Giridhar.
Speaking about the natural beauty and scenic locales of the region, he added, “Vizag has some of the best locations in the country and a great combination of the sea and the hills. The sea here has a different colour tone every day. In fact, there are many scenic locales in places like Araku and beyond that are yet to be explored for film shootings.”
Vizag has been a favourite destination for shooting films for over half a century.
The first film to be shot in Vizag was Kulagothralu way back in 1962, starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Krishna Kumari.
“Noted director K. Balachander has immortalised the scenic locations with his film Maro Charitra , which was later remade in Hindi as Ek Duje Ke Liye . The city has everything needed to make films,” Giridhar added.
With Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu assuring that the port city will be developed as a ‘film hub’, it has rekindled the hopes of the Telugu film industry, one of the largest film producers in India.
