SRINAGAR: Henceforth, production houses looking to shoot movies in J&K must first get the script of the film approved by the Jammu and Kashmir Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited. Then only can they apply to get a permit to start filming.
The new rules are part of the Union Territory’s film policy, which was unveiled on August 5. As per the policy, approval of script and filming permits are mandatory for shooting movies/shows in J&K. “All the production houses must submit full scripts in English to Jammu and Kashmir SICOP. The entire script should be submitted even if only a single sequence is shot in J&K,” read the guidelines of J&K film policy.
According to officials, approval of the script may take up to 25 business days. Producers were assured that their scripts would be kept confidentiality. The script submitted by the filmmakers would be evaluated by an expert from a panel constituted by J&K Film Cell.
“In some cases, filmmakers may need to show the completed film to a representative of J&K Film Cell before its release with a view to ensure that the film has been shot in accordance with the evaluated script and that it has nothing objectionable from the point of view of the presentation of a correct and balanced perspective,” read the guidelines.