What’s the industry’s next big move? Well, some favor the central location of Bollywood shifting from Mumbai to a different city, such as New Delhi, the political capital. There are many reasons to favor placing the major production houses of Hindi cinema in Delhi. For example, right wing groups have been protesting in Mumbai against the release of My Name is Khan and other squabbles from this fraction have been common against Bollywood’s films. “If this drama and protest against Hindi films continues, I feel Film City in Noida may find a lot more business,” says actress Gul Panag.
Actor Irrfan Khan responded by saying, “It is not a bad thought,” to the suggestion of shifting base outside Mumbai.
Savita Raj, the force behind Khosla Ka Ghosla, says, “I’ve been telling Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit that Delhi should have its own film destination since 80 percent of the industry has north Indians.”
Others disagree with these views.
“Shifting Bollywood to another city is not a solution. That won’t curb the problem, but just subside it temporarily,” says actor Rahul Bose. “Why should we run? We should stay and fight for our rights,” says director Neeraj Pandey, who brought films like A Wednesday to the audiences.
The majority consensus right now remains that increased security will serve the current needs. “We want to feel safe and protected, throughout the country and not just in one state,” says Vipul Shah. Actress Chitrangada Singh says, “The central government should step in against people who are threatening the core of what India stands for.”
Although the rumors may be floating around, it does not look like most personas involved in Bollywood are seriously willing to consider shifting base due to a few protests. They’ll figure out another way to deal with the issue and keep their films and industry thriving.
