BLOG: Georgian Locations Add Spice To Indian Movies (rferl.org)

(rferl.org) With its rugged mountain scenery, spectacular Black Sea coastline, and historic capital city, Georgia has a vast array of cinematically attractive locations to entice international filmmakers.

With many beautiful, diverse locations, such as the Kazbegi valley, and relatively low labor costs, Georgia has the potential to become a mecca for foreign filmmakers.

It seems that movie producers from Bollywood may soon take note, especially now that two big-budget flicks for the Indian market have helped showcase what the Caucasus country has to offer.

The romantic dual-language Tamil-Telugu tale "A Second World" ("Irandam Ulagam") has just finished shooting in various regions around Georgia and is due for a major release in January.

It follows hot on the heels of the high-octane Tamil-gangster flick "Billa 2," which used various locations around Tbilisi for its blockbuster thrills and spills (see the trailer below).

According to eurasianet.org, Georgia's Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Keti Bochorishvili believes these movies could have a “pulling effect” in attracting even bigger-budget Bollywood productions.

The Georgian government has long been striving to woo foreign filmmakers to the country and it seems their efforts have not been falling on deaf ears.

Indian producer Roop Naik has already praised Georgia for its "unique locations" and "diverse landscapes," which he says are among several factors that could act as a draw for foreign filmmakers.

In Naik's view, the country also has a certain novelty value compared to other parts of Europe, which he reportedly believes are over used as locations for Bollywood films.

Nonetheless, many film professionals believe that Georgia will need to put together an incentive package -- including tax rebates -- before it can hope to regularly attract big-budget movie projects from Bollywood and elsewhere.

The deputy director of Georgia's National Film Center, Salome Sepashvili, told eurasianet.org that an incentive package has actually been developed.

Although she gave no details as to when this package might be approved, there are plenty who would presumably back the move.

Georgia's National Investment Agency has already said that an increase in the number of foreign film crews in the country could give the country's movie industry a much needed shot in the arm while also having many knock-on benefits for those working in the catering, accommodation, logistics, and transportation sectors.