In a bid to make Jammu and Kashmir a cost-effective destination for global filmmakers, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has announced a series of initiatives aimed at building a robust local film infrastructure and a skilled workforce that will create employment opportunities for the youth in the region.

Beyond traditional Bollywood, the Chief Minister is actively looking at encouraging Southern cinema and music video producers to come to Jammu and Kashmir, promising a streamlined “single-window” clearance system and significant reductions in production overheads, a PTI report from Srinagar stated yesterday.

Recognising that high production costs often deter film units, Abdullah told PTI recently that the government is collaborating with major production houses in Mumbai to train local youths in technical crafts such as cinematography and lighting.

“We are working with organisations, particularly in Mumbai, to create a trained pool of resources so that when a film unit comes here, they don’t have to bring everybody with them,” Abdullah told PTI in Srinagar.

He said that this strategy serves a dual purpose, because it is cheaper for the film unit and it also creates local employment here.

“Look, we need to sort of recognise that we need to build an infrastructure here for people to be able to come and film. We need to make it easier and cheaper because production costs are extremely high. So one of the things we’re trying to do is to create a pool of talented youngsters who are trained,” he said.

In addition to manpower, the (State) government is focusing on the “logistics of filming”, Abdullah said and added that plans are underway to establish a local pool of high-end filming equipment, ranging from spotlights to camera dollies.

“So they don’t have to bring everything… all the way here for filming. So it’s something that we are currently in the process of executing, and we hope that it will show results,” he said.

Addressing concerns regarding bureaucratic hurdles, the Chief Minister said that Jammu and Kashmir’s film policy is being effectively implemented through the tourism department, which has a dedicated officer to coordinate all permissions.

Acknowledging some “dealing difficulties” in the past, the chief minister asserted that his administration has worked to remove these bottlenecks to ensure a smoother experience for creative teams.

“It is something that we are currently in the process of executing, and we hope that it will show results soon,” Abdullah said and hoped that these measures would firmly place the valley back on the international cinematic map.