India Cine Hub: How a Single-Window Platform Could Make Filming in India Easier

Team L&M

India’s appeal as a filming destination has never been limited to its film studios. From the Himalayas and Rajasthan’s heritage sites to Kerala’s landscapes and the beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the country offers filmmakers a wide range of locations.

But finding the right location is only one part of making a film. Producers also have to navigate permissions, local clearances, visas, equipment, crew and other logistical requirements. The India Cine Hub (ICH) portal is designed to simplify some of these processes through a digital single-window system.

Managed by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), the platform brings filming-related information and applications together and works with states and Union Territories to facilitate permissions. This also helps bring film induced tourism in India. It provides access to filming permissions, location directories, filming resources, co-production information and film visa guidance. It helps them with Bollywood movie shooting locations.

One Digital Window for Filmmakers

The idea behind India Cine Hub portal is straightforward: make it easier for filmmakers to understand where they can shoot and how they can obtain the necessary permissions.

The platform provides a common application process for domestic and international projects and offers information on requirements related to filming in monuments, forests and other locations. It also provides guidance on aerial filming, filming with animals and film visas.

For international productions, the system also supports the process of obtaining filming permission and facilitates film visa applications. The government says the platform is intended to reduce procedural friction and make India more accessible to global filmmakers.

The platform also includes a GIS-based location directory. Filmmakers can explore locations by category and state while accessing information about relevant authorities and filming resources.

Beyond Permissions: A Filmmaking Ecosystem

Getting a shooting permit is only one part of production. A film crew also needs equipment, accommodation, transport, catering, medical support, security and local talent.

India Cine Hub brings together information on several of these resources. Its directories cover areas such as production companies, studios, equipment rentals, casting agencies, hotels, medical facilities, security services and travel operators.

This could be particularly useful for productions coming to India from outside the country. Instead of starting from scratch in an unfamiliar location, filmmakers can use the platform to explore local production and non-production resources.

The portal also highlights filming hubs and locations across India, giving states an opportunity to showcase their landscapes, infrastructure and local resources to filmmakers. Such visibility can also contribute to film tourism, particularly when locations featured on screen attract visitors after a production reaches audiences.

India’s Growing Content Economy

The move comes as India’s entertainment and digital content ecosystem continues to expand.

As per information available, India’s film, television and online content sector generated $13.1 billion in revenue in 2024, up 18% from 2019. The government expects the sector to continue growing in the coming years.

The country’s large young population, expanding internet access, affordable data and rapid growth of 5G have also changed how audiences consume content. Short-form video, streaming, gaming and regional-language content have become an increasingly important part of the media landscape.

The government says internet subscribers crossed 109.2 crore by March 2026, while 5G services were available in 99.9% of districts across the country.

These changes have created a larger market not only for films and television but also for web series, short-form content and other digital productions.

Film Cities Across India

Mumbai remains one of India’s most important production centres, while Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar and Delhi also have established media and production activity.

The country is also developing new film infrastructure. Three major film cities in the country are Film City in Mumbai, Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad and Noida Film City.

Mumbai’s Film City, established in 1977, covers more than 520 acres and includes a range of outdoor shooting locations. Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, established in 1996, has developed into a large integrated film production and entertainment complex.

Noida Film City has a different character, with television channels, media companies, radio, publishing and other media businesses operating from the area.

At the same time, several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar, are developing film-city infrastructure with private-sector participation.

When Films Become Tourism Drivers

Cinema can also change the way people see a destination. This is where cinema and destination branding increasingly intersect. A location that appears on screen can suddenly become part of a traveller’s itinerary, giving places a new identity in the minds of audiences.

For example, part of 3 Idiots was set in Ladakh after producers noted a rise in tourist attraction for the city. The film is among several examples of movies that made places famous, showing how cinematic exposure can influence the way audiences discover and remember destinations.

The phenomenon extends beyond India. Films such as Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi, along with international productions filmed in India, have brought Indian locations to audiences around the world.

India Cine Hub showcases a range of international and domestic productions filmed in India, including Tenet, Extraction, The Dark Knight, Everest and Life of Pi.

This connection between cinema and tourism is at the heart of film tourism, which can create opportunities beyond the film set. Local hotels, transport operators, guides, technicians, vendors and other businesses can benefit when productions come to a region.

The growing interest in this link between screen content and destinations has also created space for industry discussions and events around a film tourism conclave India, where filmmakers, tourism stakeholders and policymakers can explore ways to promote locations through cinema.

States Look to Attract More Productions

Several states have introduced incentives and other measures to attract filmmakers. The PIB backgrounder says states including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Uttarakhand have used measures such as infrastructure support, location-fee waivers and production incentives.

Madhya Pradesh received the Most Film Friendly State award at the 68th National Film Awards.

For states, attracting a film production can therefore serve more than one purpose. It can bring employment and spending to local communities while putting lesser-known locations before a national or international audience. Over time, this visibility can also support film tourism by encouraging audiences to experience filming locations in person.

Making India Easier to Film

The larger question is whether simplifying permissions can make a meaningful difference to filmmakers.

India already has the locations, talent, technical expertise and a large audience. The challenge often lies in coordinating the many practical requirements involved in production.

India Cine Hub is an attempt to address that part of the filmmaking process. Its online system brings together permissions, location information, production resources and other guidance in one place.

As India’s content economy expands, making the country easier to navigate for filmmakers could become increasingly important. The success of that effort, however, will depend not only on the digital platform but also on how smoothly state and local authorities coordinate with productions on the ground.

For filmmakers, the appeal is ultimately simple: spend less time navigating paperwork and more time making films. For destinations, the opportunity extends beyond hosting a production, as successful screen exposure can potentially turn filming locations into attractions for film tourism.