The entertainment industry managed to get a rare mention in this year’s interim budget speech. The government announced that Indian film makers will now have access to the single window clearance mechanism for permissions required for shooting films, which was so far only being accorded to foreign film makers.

Experts said that if implemented well this could provide a major boost for the film industry as it will reduce costs and encourage Indian film makers to shoot in India instead of opting for foreign locales.

Jehil Thakkar, Head –Media & Entertainment and Partner at Deloitte India said, “This is a significant move. It can take as much as much as 3-4 months to get all the clearances to shoot films and this escalates production budgets. If implemented well, this will help in increasing the speed to market for films as well as reduce the working capital for film makers.”

The government said that regulatory provisions for single window clearance for ease of shooting films will rely more on self-declaration.

Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures Ltd said this will encourage Indian film makers to shoot in India instead of international destinations. “The multiplicity of agencies involved in giving clearances to film makers for shooting movies, can make the process very complicated and adds to the costs of production. This will encourage film makers to opt for Indian locations instead of opting for foreign destinations and save on costs,” he added.

The government also said that it will introduce anti-camcording provisions in the Cinematograph Act to control menace of piracy. Last month, the I & B Ministry has proposed stricter penalties to combat piracy such as imprisonment upto three years and fines upto Rs 10 lakh in the draft Cinematograph Act (Amendment Bill).