T MUMBAI: The US seems to be losing its lure forBollywood with " racial profiling" and visa problems apparently forcing directors andproducers to look for locales elsewhere. And Shah Rukh Khan's recent detention at White Plains Airport in New York for extended questioning has brought the problem faced by the film industry to the fore.
If 2008-09 saw films like Dostana, New York, Kambakt Ishq and Love Aaj Kal shot in America, the figure dwindled to two-Anjana Anjani and Kurbaan- in 2010-11 and merely one, Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, in 2012. Director Kabir Khan said, "My visa was rejected thrice before I got permission to shoot for New York. The story of the film made it mandatory for me to shoot there." If they have to shoot in the US, producers avoid taking large units because of visa problems. And like Shah Rukh Khan, many other members from the film industry have apparently faced trouble at US airports and even rejected over their "names". To avoid such complication over "racial profiling", directors have learnt to go in for the visa procedure much earlier than required. Sajid Nadiadwala, who has shot three of his films in the US over the past five years, said, "Certain names in my unit face visa trouble. Since we now know that the US consulate will raise questions over their names, we fill their applications slightly in advance." In 2009, the US stood third on the list of popular shooting locations, but this year, it has slipped down, with Thailand being on the top; last year, more than 50 Hindi films were shot there, followed by South Africa and Australia. Producer Rajat Rawail, who shot Ready in Thailand, reasons out: "Visa and permit delays is one of the main reasons for not taking films to America, which is not friendly towards Indian films. Unlike it, other countries go out of their way to woo Bollywood." Kabir Khan, who shot his film, Ek Tha Tiger, in five countries, including Turkey, Cuba and Ireland, was impressed with the warm welcome extended to his unit everywhere. "Luckily for the movie, I didn't have to shoot in America. One of the main problems there is getting visa for the unit. It is really upsetting when some of unit members' visas are rejected." Actor Aamir Bashir, who played Shah Rukh's brother in My Name Is Khan-the movie in which SRK spent considerable amount of money and effort to send across the message that he is "not a terrorist" -could not travel to America to shoot for another film for the same reason. President of Film and Television Producers Guild Ramesh Sippy also agrees that visa troubles do play spoilsport while shooting in America. "There was a time when western locales were a craze and people shot at places including New York, California and Canada. But now the stories that are coming out of Bollywood are very Indian and so the need for shooting in western countries has also reduced. This indicates that people have had their fill of western locations." Apart from its supposed unfriendliness towards Indian filmmakers, another reason why America is losing its popularity is its distance from India. Rawail said, "Most actors nowadays multi-task. Along with acting, they also attend award functions and shoot for commercials. They cannot travel back and forth. _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
