BOLLYWOOD MOVES TO SOUTH WALES

LAST November the South Wales Film Commission joined seven other UK Film commissions on a trade mission to Bombay, home of ‘Bollywood’.
Over 800 films are made in India each year, compared with 600 in Hollywood and approximately 100 in the UK. Film exports from India are growing at 80 per cent per year and are predicted to double this year, making Bollywood big business.
Following on from November’s successful trade visit to Bombay, the Commission determined to expand their activities by actively wooing Bollywood into Wales. Since returning from India, Yvonne Cheal has been actively attracting the Indian film industry and has managed to establish south wales as a film-friendly production base, which is rapidly becoming part of the Bollywood vocabulary.
To this end, a Hindi-speaking Film Liaison Officer, Tirthdankar Dasgupta has joined the commission, to assist with Indian origin enquiries. Since April there have been no less than fourteen inquiries. One film, ‘Khabi Kushi Khabie Gham’ Has just completed production, while another, ‘Mujh Se Shadi Karogi?’ is presently in production.
(GB)