As Noida chases Film City dream, filmmakers make a beeline

The Noida Film City in Gautam Budh Nagar, a pet project of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seems to be gaining momentum with big names like superstar Rajinikanth said to be in talks.

According to reports, Rajinikanth has expressed his interest in the development project of this new film city. If reports are to be belived, the actor's wife and daughter are very serious about this project and also had a word with Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) CEO Arun Vir Singh about the project. At the same time, it is believed that after daughter and wife, now Rajinikanth himself is going to talk to the CEO on April 4.

Apart from Rajinikanth, Comedian and actor Rajpal Yadav has also shown interest in this PPP model. Earlier, veteran filmmaker KC Bakodia has also sought 250 acres land for developing the first phase of the film city project. He has also promised to pay a daily fine of Rs 10 lakh.

CEO Singh said that Rajinikanth and his wife had already spoken to him and expressed their desire for the project. Along with this, he had also taken all the information about Film City.

It must be noted that in a bid to turn Noida into the country's tinsel town, the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh has announced an allocation of Rs 10,000 crore for the development of its Film City project.

The proposed Film City, which is a public-private partnership project, is being developed by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) in collaboration with the State government and various private investors.

The project is expected to be developed on 1,000 acre of land in Sector 21 along the Yamuna Expressway, close to the upcoming super airport at Jewar. By 2024, the first phase of the project is expected to be ready while the final phase is expected to be over by 2029.

The Film City offers a number of features, including pre- and post-production facilities, as well as film tourism. The project aims at creating a state-of-the-art film and media infrastructure that includes film studios, sound stages, post-production facilities, outdoor shooting locations and other supporting facilities such as hotels, restaurants and recreational areas.

Several music companies and filmmakers have evinced interest and have met top YEIDA officials in this regard. Global music and filmmaking companies such as Sony, Fox and Universal have shown interest in the project.