More Indian movie makers to enter Fiji

More movie makers from India will enter Fiji in 2015 as local audio visual agents continue to promote Fiji as an ideal location for film shoots.

Stardom Entertainment and Promotions Line Producers director Mohammed Khan said about four movie production houses from India had shown interest in visiting Fiji, according to reports of The Fiji Times newspaper website on Monday.

"It is through our agency and our partners One Small Studio in India that we have been able to attract movie makers like those from Live Forever Productions," he said."We have six more movies planned for this year and we hope to attract more movie makers."

Khan said the promotion of Fiji as an ideal movie location was made easier with the state's legislation and the country's increasing popularity in India.

"Most movie makers from India are aware of Fiji because of the movies that have already been shot here and how it has become a very popular place to come to."

Live Forever Productions writer and director Jakee Patel said the production house planned to shoot three movies this year alone.

"We have one already lined up that we hope to start shooting in March then we have two more movies which we are also working on that we want to shoot here," he said.

"Each movie has a different story line with a different cast and crew which we hope to also sample from here in Fiji."

Fiji could be transformed into a Bollywood production hub after a six-film deal was struck by a Nadi production house and a Bollywood film studio in 2014.

Bollywood films are popular in Fiji due to the country's large ethnic Indian population.

Khan had established a partnership with India's Once More Studios, which he hopes will bring the world's biggest film industry to Fiji for the long haul.

He has six productions in the pipeline with a view for many more.

Bollywood films have been produced in Fiji before, and Khan said this deal would establish a long-running partnership between Bollywood and Fiji.

West Indian producer-director Jaykishan Patel who had always dreamed of filming in the island nation is making his next three films in Fiji.

"One of my childhood dreams was to visit Fiji, and Fiji is the perfect location for our script and story," Patel said.

Bollywood is the world's biggest film industry, producing hundreds of films per year across the globe.

Patel said earlier Fiji's huge Indian population made it a natural fit for Hindu directors.

"Indian population is there in Fiji so that is also one of the good points that many filmmakers, and I think many talents from Fiji, extras and crew members will get chance to work in lots of movies," he said. Endi