National award winning Bollywood filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who is attending the 3rd Guwahati International Film Festival, has suggested Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal that a single window system should be put in place so that filmmakers and producers could obtain necessary clearances and permissions for shooting their films here in the state.
Bhandarkar, who is known for his films like Chandini Bar, Page 3 and Fashion among others, also stressed on the need to attract other regional film producers from West Bengal or Southern India to visit Assam apart from Bollywood so that artistes and technicians here could find substantive work all year round.
Informing the filmmaker about the State Film Policy, which was recently approved by the State Cabinet, Chief Minister Sonowal said that a lot of steps have been taken by the state government to revive the Assamese film industry. He requested Bhandarkar to shoot one of his films in Assam so that the state’s natural beauty could be projected worldwide. He assured all cooperation to the filmmaker in this regard.
Sonowal informed that Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for a Film Tourism Policy in the state was being prepared and once finalised it would make Assam one of the attractive destinations for the filmmakers.
Bhandarkar who was also present during the inaugural session on Thursday said that films have no boundary and it connects the globe.
“Though we don’t know the language, we watch the films on various platforms with the help of subtitles. So, film is a great medium to connect. Film connects you emotionally and it inspires you. The love for my cinema, in the 20 years, has been immense. It’s a great feeling to know that people still remember and appreciate my films like Chandini Bar, Page 3, Corporate…,” Bhandarkar said.
