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Indian cinema played crucial role through turbulent times: Thakur
Thakur, who is leading the Indian contingent at the international film festival, also said that India’s red-carpet presence captured the diversity of cinematic excellence not only in terms of representation of actors and filmmakers but also through OTT platforms.
India has the ability to become one of the leading countries in the production of high quality content, information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur said during his keynote speech at the India Forum at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, as he invited various filmmakers to shoot in India.
“Indian cinema has played a crucial role and portrayed our fight for Independence, be it through turbulent times and in our times. Today, the media and entertainment sector in India is a significant contributor not only to the creative economy but also for projecting India’s soft power abroad,” said Thakur while addressing the gathering. “With collaborative effort, our nation will be among the leading quality content producing nations in the world.”
Thakur, who is leading the Indian contingent at the international film festival, also said that India’s red-carpet presence captured the diversity of cinematic excellence not only in terms of representation of actors and filmmakers but also through OTT platforms.
“…The celebration of India at Cannes and the recognition of our cinematic excellence the world over is set to manifest the country into the content hub of the world,” he said.
The minister also spoke about the growing OTT market in India. “According to reports, the OTT market in India is predicted to grow at 21% annually… It has been the case during the pandemic and we are going to reach the two-billion mark by 2024.”
The government is also focusing on launching more regional film festivals, such as the Himalayan Film Festival in Ladakh, he added.
Extending an invitation to global filmmakers, he said, “Come and shoot in India, enjoy our hospitality, our breathtaking landscapes, our ancient history and take advantage of our technological prowess.”
On Wednesday, speaking at the India pavilion at Cannes, Thakur announced incentive schemes for audio-visual co-production and shooting of foreign films in India along with a cash incentive of 30% and a cap of $260,000.
Thakur’s keynote address came in the presence of the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification and lyricist Prasoon Joshi, actor and director R Madhavan, filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor, secretary, I&B ministry Apurva Chandra. Other actors present were Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nayanthara, Pooja Hegde, Tamannaah Bhatia and folk singer Mame Khan.
