Weak rupee scuttles Bollywood's shooting in alien lands

September 2, 2013

Bollywoods_ShootingMumbai, Sep 2: The falling Indian rupee has led to a sharp decline of up to 35 percent of Bollywood movies being shot in exotic foreign locales in the past four months, an industry study released here Monday said.

The weakened rupee has not only restricted Indian filmmakers from shooting abroad, but compelled them to settle for locations within the country, said a study on "Weak Rupee dampens spirits of Bollywood film-makers in foreign location", conducted by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).

"There will be more cut-down in the number of films shot abroad, especially medium/low budget films and opting for lesser expensive destinations in south-east Asia, Middle East and South Africa," Assocham secretary-general D.S. Rawat said.

For Indian filmmakers, the cost turns out to be much higher in countries like the US, Britain, Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Ireland and Denmark. They are also reducing the number of days from packages and looking to offset those costs by opting for shorter duration stays and looking at budget accommodation options, Rawat added.

There are changes in travel patterns as a majority of the filmmakers are opting for non-dollar destinations like Sri Lanka, Dubai, Bali and Phuket or sticking to favourite domestic locales like Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Goa and Kerala, the study said.

"Due to depreciating rupee, India has become an attractive destination, especially for the Bollywood filmmakers. This has given an unprecedented focus to domestic locations within India and re-emerging as a viable option," Rawat said from the study.

According to the Assocham assessment, while there was a 40 percent increase in shooting at foreign locales by Indian filmmakers in 2012, this year it has declined by 30 percent.

In contrast, from the decline of 20 percent in shooting at domestic locales by Indian filmmakers last year, in 2013 it has increased by 35 percent.

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News Network
July 21,2020

Mumbai, Jul 21: Police have recorded statements ofthree psychiatrists and a psychotherapist as part of their probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput last month, a senior official said on Monday.

Their "statements were recorded over the last three- four days" by the Bandra police who are probing the case, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IX) Abhishek Trimukhe.

The late actor was consulting these mental health professionals and hence their statements were recorded as part of the ongoing probe, police said.

Rajput was undergoing treatment for depression since November 2019, they said.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his suburban Bandra apartment on June 14 in what the police claimed was a case of suicide. In the initial investigation, the Mumbai police had found that the actor was under medication for depression.

So far, the police have recorded statements of over 36 people, including director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bollywood casting director Mukesh Chhabra, actress Sanjana Sanghi and Rajput's friend Sandip Singh, among others.

Rajput's friend, actor Rhea Chakraborty, has also given her statement to the police.

Filmmaker Aditya Chopra recorded his statement in connection with the case at the Versova Police Station on Saturday.

Rajput starred in films such as 'Shuddh Desi Romance', 'Raabta', 'Kedarnath' and 'Sonchiriya'. But his most prominent role came as cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the biopic, 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'.

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News Network
June 30,2020

Mumbai, Jun 30: Actor Aamir Khan on Tuesday issued a statement and confirmed that some of his staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, while the rest of his family members have tested negative.

Khan also announced that he was taking his mother for a COVID-19 test and urged his fans to pray for her test to come out as negative.

The '3 Idiots' star put out the statement on Instagram and said, "This is to inform you that some of my staff have tested positive. They were immediately quarantined, and BMC officials were very prompt and efficient in taking them to a medical facility."

Thanking the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for their precautionary steps, he added, "I would like to thank the BMC for taking such good care of them, and for fumigating and sterilising the entire society."

Informing about the health of his family members, the 'Thugs of Hindostan' actor added, "The rest of us have all been tested and found negative," and informed that, "Right now I am taking my mother to get her tested. She is the last person in the loop. Please pray that she is negative."

Thanking the BMC, and hospital authorities for their swift prompt, he added, "I would, once again, like to thank the BMC for the prompt, professional and caring manner in which they helped us. And a big thank you to Kokilaben Hospital and the doctors, nurses and staff there. They were very caring and professional with the testing process."

Aamir also urged his fans to be safe amid the coronavirus outbreak.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Chennai, Jul 30: Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli on Wednesday said he and his family members have tested positive for coronavirus and are currently quarantined at home.

The director, best known for his epic fantasy hit Baahubali series, said they got tested after they developed mild fever recently which subsided by itself.

“My family members and I developed a slight fever few days ago. It subsided by itself but we got tested nevertheless. The result has shown a mild COVID positive today. We have home quarantined as prescribed by the doctors (sic)” he said.

In a subsequent tweet, Rajamouli said he and his kin are asymptomatic and “feeling better”. They are, however, following all the precautions and instructions.

“Just waiting to develop antibodies so that we can donate our plasma,” he added.

Before the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown was announced in March, the filmmaker was working on his upcoming period action drama Rise Roar Revolt.

The Telugu film, featuring actors Ram Charan and NTR Jr in the lead, is a fictional tale based on the lives of two freedom fighters in early 20th century.

Andhra Pradesh witnessed its worst single day spike of coronavirus on Wednesday, 10,000 plus cases, as the other southern states, including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also reported high daily numbers, although they saw a dip in the infections.

The cumulative tally of southern states — AP, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry was 24,855 on Wednesday.

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