Mumbai, Oct 7 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday, announced an ambitious four-year timeline to transform Mumbai’s Film City in Goregaon into a world-class film ecosystem, signalling the state’s determination to cement India’s position as a global content production hub.

He was speaking during a discussion at the 25th edition of FICCI Frames with renowned actor and producer Akshay Kumar.

The Chief Minister said that the project had remained unexecuted during his previous tenure between 2014 and 2019 despite extensive planning.

“This time I have decided that we will convert the Film City into a world-class film ecosystem,” Fadnavis told Akshay Kumar, who urged the Chief Minister to prioritise the transformation.

The Chief Minister added that the transformation would begin within a year.

CM Fadnavis also pledged to develop specific strategies to connect younger audiences with Marathi cinema, acknowledging that the state government had not previously made targeted efforts despite the regional industry’s creative strength.

“You have given me a new mantra — how to connect Gen Z to Marathi films. Now I will work on this,” he told actor Akshay Kumar.

The Film City redevelopment will incorporate state-of-the-art studios designed to accommodate emerging technologies, including virtual production, artificial intelligence and advanced visual effects capabilities.

The site already houses the Indian Institute of Creative Technology, a unique institution owned 52 per cent by industry bodies such as FICCI, with the remainder held by the governments of Maharashtra and the Centre, the government statement said.

The announcement comes as India’s creative economy reaches an inflection point, with the media and entertainment sector expanding tenfold over the past quarter century.

Sanjay Jaju, Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary, said that the industry has grown from Rs 25,000 crore in 2000 to about Rs 2.5 lakh crore today, the government statement added.

Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said the state’s media and entertainment sector contributes more than Rs 2 lakh crore to the regional GDP.

The state government is rolling out a comprehensive film policy and developing new film cities across Maharashtra to accommodate the growing demand.

Bollywood star and FICCI Framed Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana said the silver jubilee edition of the event reflects the platform’s role in unifying creative professionals and shaping the Indian entertainment industry over a quarter century.

“Indian stories and talents are bringing us global recognition, with FICCI at the forefront acting as a catalyst for change,” the national film award-winning actor said.

“We have more than a billion stories to tell and today is our time,” he added.

Secretary Jaju outlined the government’s broader vision for the sector, highlighting that digital media is growing at twice the rate of India’s GDP, while the animation, visual effects, gaming and extended reality segment is expanding at 30 per cent annually.

Indian content now travels to more than 200 countries, he noted, carried by streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime and JioStar.

The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary identified several critical challenges facing the industry, including piracy, which has implications for national security and money laundering, misinformation eroding public trust, and the need for fair revenue distribution to content creators.

“It’s important that this growth comes with great responsibility,” he said, emphasising the government’s commitment to balancing expansion with ethical standards.

Anant Goenka, Senior Vice-President, FICCI, said that the establishment of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology represents a milestone for the industry.

The institution, conceived as an industry-led platform, addresses critical needs, including workforce skilling, research and development, innovation and policy alignment whilst supporting states in framing animation, visual effects, gaming and extended reality policies.

–IANS

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