Chitranagari not yet ready for film shoots

KOLHAPUR: The deadline for the

completion of works

for the

revamp of Chitranagari

, the one stop location for all

TV and film

shootings, has once again been

pushed ahead.

Members of the Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal (ABMCM) — the apex body of Marathi film industry — had repeatedly announced that the work of the first phase would be ready by April-end, later May-end and after that on June 15. Now, they are saying that it is unlikely to meet the June deadline.

Dhanaji Yamgar, deputy president of ABMCM, told TOI, that a review meeting of the speed of work was conducted in May, wherein the progress of the plantation drive and construction work was analysed. It seems the shooting might start only after July.

Sanjay Patil, managing director of Chitranagari, told TOI that they are approaching production houses for booking the Chitranagari premises in the future, but even they are waiting for the work to be completed.

“We are ahead of our schedule. Our deadline is September 2017, so there is no need to hurry. However, we have already approached three-four production houses to have a look and start shooting. For a full-fledged shoot to take place, basic infrastructure has to be ready. This work is under progress at Chitranagari,” he said.

It has to be noted that AMBCM president Meghraj Rajebhosale had earlier said that the work of the phase 1 will completed by April-end. Later in a program sponsored by ABMCM in the first week of May, he had announced that the production houses can start shooting from June 15.

Rajebhosale had earlier said that the renovation work is going on at full speed and regular review is being taken by the ABMCM and the Maharashtra Film Stage and Cultural Development Corporation Limited (MFSCDCL) officials.

The phase one includes the typical Patil wada, which is used for the village head’s house, in many of the movies set in rural backdrop, along with a police station set, an indoor jail , a court house with the road and small shops set.

It has to be noted that the Chitranagari also missed the chance of plantation drive on the occasion of world environment day owing to administrative issues.

Chitranagari is spread over a 75-acre plot in Morewadi, south of Kolhapur city. It was set up in 1984 by the state government. The objective of setting up the film city was to provide infrastructural set-up to the Marathi film industry and provide all the facilities -from shooting to post production-under one roof.

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