Visakhapatnam: It's not far from saying lights, camera, action!

Visakhapatnam: After a long time, prospects of Visakhapatnam emerging as a film hub look bright if the outcome of the talks a team of actors and filmmakers from Telugu film industry had with Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is any indication. Now, with a slew of measures for development of cine industry in the offing and more focus on Visakhapatnam, the chances of the region, with many a picturesque locale like Araku Valley, Borra Caves, coffee plantation, waterfalls, long coastline, Kailasagiri, Ramakrishna beach, zoological park, and Erramatti Dibbalu, attracting film units appear to be high.

This apart, provision of single-window platform for shootings, setting up of studios and other production facilities in Visakhapatnam and facility of housing plots for celebrities who wish to settle in port city assured by the Chief Minister garner praise from film fraternity.

As decks get cleared for the resumption of film shooting from July 15 and AP government promising to allot site for setting up of studios and production houses in Visakhapatnam, film personalities in the city see a ray of hope.

Earlier, though several hit movies like Kamal Hassan-starrer 'Maro Charitra' directed by K Balachander and 'Nalugu Stambhalata' of Jandhyala were shot in the district, no concerted effort was made to give a boost to the region due to negligence of the successive governments.

The setting up of Rama Naidu studio in Vizag has only rekindled the hopes of not just Telugu filmmakers but also those belonging to other languages, including Tamil, Odiya and Bengali. But nothing concrete happened in subsequent years. Filmmakers say that it will not be the same scenario now. "Be it the rich stretches of green fields in Konaseema or the coastline of North Andhra, there is no dearth of locales for filmmakers in Andhra Pradesh compared to Telangana. Apparently, there cannot be a better choice than Visakhapatnam to be developed as a film hub. With plans to set up studios and production houses, it will also help provide employment opportunities for allied sectors as well," opines Chaitanya Janga, president of Film and Television Promotion Council of Andhra Pradesh.

Sharing his views, production manager from Visakhapatnam M Rambabu says, "There are a number of shooting spots in Visakhapatnam. However, there is a need to ease the permission process to be granted for film shooting, including Heritage sites and forest cover."

As the Telugu film industry prepares to resume shoots from July 15 and proposals to establish studios and production houses in the pipeline, the 24 crafts of filmmaking is all set to get a fillip.