Chennai: After offering its picturesque landscape to Hollywood, Iceland has invited film producers from Kodambakkam to shoot their films in their country. It has also come forward to render assistance, including technical know-how, to entrepreneurs to launch their business ventures in India.
Iceland as an exotic travel destination has been gaining popularity in India for the past few years. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle on the sideline of a meeting with producers and stakeholders in the Tamil film industry at Chennai on Tuesday, Mr Thorir Ibsen, ambassador of Iceland to India, said that the country offers a wide range of landscape and amazing range of geological and natural phenomena with imposing glaciers, geysers, black sand beach makes for arresting visuals, floating icebergs, majestic waterfalls, stark highlands and lava fields.
Iceland became an international tourist destination after the shooting of several blockbuster Hollywood films in the early 1980s. Some of them are -A View to a Kill (1985), Judge Dredd, (1995), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, (2001), Die Another Day (2002), Batman Begins, (2005), Journey to the Center of the Earth, (2008), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Oblivion (2013), Titanium, (2014), Noah (2014), Interstellar (2014), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and upcoming Fast & Furious 8 (2017). An entire song sequence in 'Dilwale', a Bollywood film, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, a Kollywood film 'Aadavan' featuring Suriya and Nayantara in the lead roles, were shot in Iceland.
Ambassador Mr Thorir Ibsen said that Iceland is a pioneer in the use of geothermal energy for space heating. The country also specialises in the hospitality sector, shipping, food processing, IT and data centers. It provides free and compulsory education up to graduation and quality health care. The country accords importance to women's empowerment with 40 per cent of Parliamentarians, 50 per cent of government servants and 80 per cent of labour force/manpower comprising women.
The ambassador also discussed with businessmen from Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. He has toured several cities in the country to raise awareness about the facilities being offered by Iceland.
