Shooting foreign films in India to get easy

NEW DELHI: The waiting period for clearing applications for shooting of foreign feature films in the country has been reduced to three weeks by simplifying the procedure, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.

In a reply, the Minister for Information and Broadcasting PR Dasmunsi said the processing of the application for granting permission, in consultation with Ministry of Home Affairs, will normally not take more than three weeks.

If the film requires shooting in sensitive areas of Jammu and Kashmir, North East, or border areas of the country, the application will be considered for specific approval in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the minister said.

In such cases clearing of applications would require more time to process, the minister added.

Further, if the issue dealt in the feature film relates to communal subjects, human rights, tribal, nuclear and defence related issues, or any other issue dealt in the script considered provocative or sensitive from the economic, social or political angle, prior permission would be required from the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said.

The minister also informed the House that the government of Pakistan has not the lifted ban on Indian films.