BENGALURU: Four decades after it was first proposed, Film City is yet to take root. And if things go according to the State government’s plan, it could come up at Hesaraghatta, the original location that then CM Ramakrishna Hegde had announced.
The project was to come up at the Devika Rani Roerich estate at Tataguni estate, off Kanakapura Road, but the government changed the location due to environmental factors, Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan has said.
On Thursday, a few representatives from the Kannada film industry, led by Shivarajkumar, producer Srikanth and KGF co-producer Karthik, met Narayan to apprise him of the problems faced by the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Narayan later said the plan is to shift Film City to a 150-acre parcel of land in Hesaraghatta, part of 450 acres belonging to the Animal Husbandry Department.
“It is not feasible to construct Film City at Tataguni estate,’’ he said, adding that a connecting road to Hesaraghatta is being built, and the foundation stone will be laid soon. In the 1980s, the Hegde government had first announced Film City. This announcement was repeated in 2004, when SM Krishna was chief minister. Siddaramaiah, in 2017, had proposed setting up Film City in Mysuru and the same was announced in the state budget.
In 2018, during the Congress-JDS coalition government, HD Kumaraswamy had announced shifting Film City to Ramanagara, his constituency. Later in 2019, when B S Yediyurappa took charge, he announced that Film City will be set up at Devika Rani Roerich’s estate. This move was opposed by environmentalists as there is a reserve forest close by.
After 40 years, the proposal sticks to its original plan. Narayan said he will sort out issues facing people working in the cinema industry, with CM B S Yediyurappa. The unorganised sector working in the film industry will get benefits under the Labour Department. Many other issues – including more facilities for filmmakers, increase in subsidy amount, GST issues – will be discussed with the CM, the DyCM added.