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Aiming at drastically reducing the prolonged wait, Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has said that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is working to give permission for film shooting in archaeological sites in 15-20 days.

Addressing a FICCI session, Patel said the government was working with all concerned stakeholders and allied ministries to support the industry during this time.

“I would urge the industry to include and promote the unknown historical monuments while planning for film shoots. The Ministry will support the industry by removing the hurdles,” added Patel.

In order to promote tourism through films, he said that the Indian film industry should explore more domestic sites, especially in the North East and Himalayan region.

“We should all work to ensure that we let our citizens know more about their country. Covid-19 has taught us the importance of the Indian lifestyle, which is simple to lead, accessible and healthy,” said Patel.

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture has also put in place a mechanism to fast-track requisite clearances from various Ministries and departments.

To cite an example, locations involving archaeological sites in metro cities required clearances from the ASI, the Home Ministry, Ministry of Environment and Forests and several other departments in the metropolis as also the police and its traffic wing.

In addition to this, scripts and locations had to be vetted in advance along with the specifications on the number of shooting days. Perhaps this has been one of the biggest reasons why our monuments and museums have never featured in films to the extent that story-tellers wanted them to.

In comparison, foreign locales seemed attractive because of the local tourism boards’ incentives such as tax credits, cash rebates, refunds, fee-free location scouting et al. 

“It is imperative that we change our perception about tourism and ensure that our brand image is improved. Initially, we will have a slow start, but I assure you that once we attain the pace, no other country will be able to match us” said Patel