Is government indifference a reason for Indian directors opting to shoot in foreign locales? Yes, say film industry honchos.

With the Indian movie industry's penchant for exotic foreign locales seeing a dramatic spurt, revenue from Indian film tourism could soon touch a whopping Rs.10 billion in the near future - and all that is foreign bound, they say.

But, if industry insiders are to be believed, Indian states as well as the central government do not seem to care.

"Traditionally there are just four exotic locations in the country that suit filmmakers - Jammu and Kashmir, Ooty (Tamil Nadu) and Kulu-Manali and Shimla (in Himachal Pradesh). Other locations are not easily approachable because there is no infrastructure in place," says ace Bollywood filmmaker Rakesh Roshan.

"But now even that is out of bounds for several reasons like terrorism and government indifference," Roshan told.

"They (state governments) do not realise what they are losing out on. Their attitude is the main reason why Bollywood is opting for foreign locales," says Roshan, who shot his "Krrish" almost entirely in Singapore.

Mainstream Indian cinema always had a yen for foreign locations.

Bollywood flicks like "An Evening In Paris" and "Love In Tokyo" and Tamil films like the M.G. Ramachandran starrer "Ulakam Suttrum Vaaliban" were runaway hits mainly because of their exotic locations.

According to Roshan, foreign locales do not make any difference to the budget of a film.

"If you look at the travelling, flying to Kulu costs Rs.30,000 per head while the same is just Rs.12,000 to Singapore," Roshan points out.

Film tourism from India by itself is very difficult to be measured in terms of a quantum, expenditure or revenue. However, according to industry observers, the number of people who travel abroad from Mumbai alone for shooting could be around 150-200 per month.

Today, the net expenditure by the industry on shooting abroad is close to Rs.1 billion, they say.

"What we are looking at is the larger pie. If we can become some kind of a gateway for film tourism by extending our platform not just to Bollywood but also south Indian and southeast Asian films, then the market can almost touch Rs.10 billion easily," said Sudhanshu Hukku, director of Locations, a film tourism event.

The event organises exhibitions where tourism boards of several countries showcase their offerings to the film industry.

Hukku, however, is disappointed with the response of the governments.

"It's not that India lacks natural beauty, architecture, heritage sites and flora and fauna. We have been trying to showcase India as a favourable location for shoots. But the governments - right from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari - here have never responded," Hukku laments.

"I do not know the reason. Perhaps the Indian tourism boards are far more intelligent than their foreign counterparts."

Hukku says there are other factors that are also considered when a director decides to shoot abroad.

"There are a lot of other elements like sunlight. The Mediterranean light, for instance, is very soft. Secondly, the summers are very long giving you more working hours."

According to Hukku, another reason could be that in productions involving big stars, it is more convenient to shoot abroad as there would be no or very little interference.

In such cases, the star is fully dedicated to the entire schedule of shoots.

"Also while shooting in India, directors face a crowds problem, and handling them eats into his time, energy and ultimately budget."

Finally, due to globalisation, it's not just native Indians but also non-resident Indians, ethnic Indian communities, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis who are being influenced by Indian movies. To cater to them, more homogenous and global locales are needed, says Hukku.