BENGALURU: A 40-year-old dream for the state to have its own Film City does not look like it will become a reality anytime soon. Locations for setting up the Film City, change often, and usually with the entry of a new government. In 2017, the then-Congress CM Siddaramaiah announced that Mysuru would play host to the Film City. Siddaramaiah, who hails from the region, even went ahead and identified 100 acres of land at Himmavu village, which falls under his old constituency of Varuna, now represented by his son Dr Yathindra.
“Money was not allotted, but the land was identified., so nothing materialised. But it was a topic that became a matter of prestige for Siddaramaiah, an avid movie buff,” said government sources. However, plans changed just a year later when HD Kumaraswamy took oath.
He presented his state budget after a few days and announced that he would develop the Film City at Ramanagara, his assembly constituency. Unhappy over this, Siddaramaiah wrote to Kumaraswamy urging him to take back the decision and keep the original proposal announced by him. He even appealed to Kumaraswamy at a joint appearance to pay their respects to actor Ambareesh in November 2018.
Not much happened, though Kumaraswamy gave his assurance. The government planned to develop the Film City campus at Ramanagara. Now with B S Yediyurappa in charge, there is a new proposal to move the venue once again, to Roerich and Devika Rani Estate in Kanakapura, 30 kilometres from Bengaluru.
Perhaps predictably, this decision has drawn a strong reaction from his immediate predecessor Kumaraswamy. In a series of tweets, the former CM said this move was a bad idea as it would damage the environment. He also said that man-animal conflicts would increase.
“By shifting it out of Ramanagara, Yediyurappa is carrying out political vendetta. During our government, it was decided to construct the Film City in Ramanagara and this would also generate job opportunities for youth in Bengaluru rural, Ramanagara and Bengaluru urban districts,” he said.
This is a problem that has been plaguing the Film City dream for the last four decades. In the mid-1980s, Ramakrishna Hegde announced that he would set it up at Hessaraghatta. In 2004, during S M Krishna’s time, the same project was announced again, but with no progress.
Speaking to TNIE, Karnataka Film Chamber’s former chairman Chinnegowda said that at present, cinema crews from Sandalwood go to Hyderbad and other cities. “Unlike olden days, we cannot shoot in public places. We need a set to shoot. We travel to other states, which takes more time and money. We have appealed to the government to start the project — any place is fine with us.’’
BSY’s proposal a threat to environment, heritage?
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s recent proposal to build the Film City on the sprawling Tataguni Estate, also known as Roerich & Devika Rani Roerich Estate, could take a toll on the rich biodiversity in the area, say environmentalists. Apart from the estate being one of the last few lung spaces in the city, it is also part of an elephant corridor. The estate has a colonial-style structure, which was home to first lady of Indian cinema Devika Rani and her husband, Russian artist Svetoslav Roerich. After the couple passed away, the land came under the state. Artists have argued that turning this land into the Film City will wipe away its rich heritage.