The world is opening its doors to our films and many of our stars now have global appeal. In this scenario, the UK-India co-production treaty, which is about to be ratified soon, is all the more important. However, the pact seems to be loaded in favour of the UK film industry.
John Newbigin is a Britisher who does not shy away from facts. “Let’s face it. The British film industry is almost like a cottage industry and we need to collaborate with bigger industries and markets in order to grow,” the strategic advisor to the UK Film Council tells a UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) workshop in India, attended also by Indian filmmakers Shekhar Kapur and Manmohan Shetty.
What Newbigin says is the reason why the Indo-UK film co-production agreement, that is expected to be ratified by parliaments of both countries very soon, is more important for UK. While there are definitely advantages for Indian filmmakers in terms of technical expertise, production standards, tax benefits and access to finance, these do not add up enough to lure them in enough numbers to UK shores.
“Indian production houses are producing 25 films a year on an average and as such there’s no need for new procedures,” says a very forthright Manmohan Shetty.
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