Bollywood producer to set up in Manchester
AN Indian film production business is to set up a post-production office in Manchester to edit Bollywood films being shot in the UK.
It is part of a £13m investment in the country by Vistaar Productions that was announced by deputy prime minister Nick Clegg on a visit to Mumbai yesterday.
The government said the facility will also be used to attract further investment from the Bollywood industry.
While in Mumbai Mr Clegg launched the filming of a new Vistaar production, Veda, an interpretation of Hamlet which will be produced in both the UK and India. Of the £13m, some £3.9m will be spent on the UK part of Veda and £7.2m will cover UK production costs of a new film called Guru Dutt.
Vistaar’s managing director Sheetal Talwar said: “We feel that the current government has provided an ecosystem that has made investing and filming in the UK highly efficient and investor friendly. We are working with entertainment specialist chartered accountants Nyman Libson Paul and Goldfinch to explore and invest in further projects in the UK. We feel that our British investments shall give us opportunity to grow the business and help us achieve market leadership in our sector of socially responsible cinema.”
Mr Clegg said: “Amid the colour, the drama and the spectacle of Bollywood, it is easy to forget how important it is to the Indian economy, generating hundreds of millions of pounds in Mumbai and the rest of India.
“As we have seen with American co-productions on a grand scale, Britain is one of the world’s top destinations for filmmakers. I hope Indian producers will follow their counterparts in the US and take advantage of the UK’s facilities, expertise and glorious locations to create the next Indian Star Wars or Game of Thrones.”
