Construction of Film City likely to start in January, 2022

Bid documents to be prepared in three weeks as DPR gets govt’s approval

To be built at the cost of Rs 6,000 crore, the Film City to provide employment to 15,000 people

Team L&M

The construction of the world-class Film City, a pet project of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, which will provide employment to 15,000 people, is likely to start in Sector-21 of Yamuna Expressway Development Authority (YEIDA) area of Gautam Budh Nagar district in January next year.

The preparations for the construction of the Film City at YEIDA city are in full swing with the approval of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted to the State Government recently by the consultant company CBRE South Asia Private Limited. CBRE now has to get the bid document ready within three weeks, which will be followed by floating of a global tender in this regard in which both domestic and foreign companies will be able to participate, according to Arun Vir Singh, the CEO of YEIDA.

The selection of the company to build the Film City in three phases will be finalised by December 31. There will be a 40-year agreement with the company to construct the Film City. However, it will not be a lease agreement and the company will be given a licence to build the Film City. Spread over an area of 1,000 acres, the sprawling Film City will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 6,000 crore. The Film City will be built on PPP (public-private partnership) model in three phases. In the first phase, studios, open areas, amusement parks and villas will be built.

In December last year, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced his decision to build a world-class film city in the state. Subsequently, 1,000 acres of land was identified in Sector-21 of YEIDA for the proposed Film City.

The first Film City of UP will boast of the latest technologies in the cinematic medium, including digital among others and will be called ‘Infotainment City’ also, according to officials.

It will have dedicated studios for shooting of films, TV serials, animation, web series, cartoon films, documentaries etc.  Furthermore, the Film City will have special effects studios, outdoor locations, hotels, club houses, villages, workshops, shopping complexes, food courts, amusement parks, entertainment facilities for tourists, convention centres and a multi-level parking.

The DPR was prepared by the CBRE South Asia Private Limited after surveying the world’s famous film cities and keeping in mind the proposal of big filmmakers and the film policy of the State Government. It features the financial model on which the proposed Film City will be built; phase-wise construction cost; arrangement of funds; time limit for construction; maintenance; revenue and employment generation at the film city and how to develop it as a tourist destination.

According to YEIDA officials, in the first phase, 80 percent of the work related to shooting of films will be completed. It will be followed by development of hospitality and other business activities.

The Film City in Gautam Budh Nagar will boast of unique features including state-of-the-art digital technologies. It will have 3D studios as well as sets rotating at 360 degrees. There will also be sound recording, editing and animation studios. A film university will also be set up in Film City where students will be able to learn about the latest techniques of film making. The university will also conduct research works on subjects related to films and have a course on making of advertisement films.

Besides, special studios will be set up to promote film tourism in the film city. The studios will be built in such a way that people can watch shooting of films. There will also be a Common Facility Centre where all the facilities related to the film will be available. People associated with the cinematic world will be able to get all the facilities needed under one roof. The Film City will also have 5-star and 3-star hotels and resorts