Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is known to be the brain behind ambitious projects. Cinema seems to be the latest object of focus for Naidu, who is going all out to woo Tollywood to set up shop in Amaravati. Working towards this idea, his first step is to try and get filmmakers to construct a film studio in the state’s capital. As an incentive, he’s even offering them 10 acres of land. But his efforts seem to have met with a lukewarm response.
According to a source, “Recently, Mr Naidu offered a 10 acre plot to a top producer, who already has studios in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. He hasn’t shown interest.”
But the chief minister hasn’t lost heart. He already seems to have spoken to producers like D. Suresh Babu, Allu Aravind, Ashwini Dutt, Gemini Kiran, Dil Raju and others. “First start an acting school, a music college and then a local short film festival. Then, encourage theatre and finally, build a studio. We have to create interest in the locals regarding acting and cinema. Then if you build a studio, it will help as by then locals would have started making movies,” says a filmmaker, who doesn’t want to be named.
Sources also say the Telangana government’s pro-cinema attitude is what is making producers reluctant to move out. “The Telangana government has a friendly equation with the film industry. There are no hurdles. So why will the industry look at shifting to places like Amaravati or Vishakapatnam,” adds the source.
