Bollywood Productions Shift Shooting Away from Delhi Due to Cost Constraints

The busy streets and famous landmarks of Delhi have been the location for a lot of Hindi films, and this has given the cinema the authenticity and the grandeur of the films. Nevertheless, the latest reports show that the change of this trend has occurred, and the production teams are now eliminating the Delhi shoot locations because of the rising costs.

Delhi, famous for its vast cultural heritage and spectacular locales, has become more and more expensive for film shoots, so now film producers are looking for more budget-friendly places to shoot their films. Productions have switched to cities like Lucknow, the places in Uttarakhand, and the spots in Madhya Pradesh, where filming expenses are less because these locations are very expensive, accordingly.

Set designers have also jumped on the bandwagon and have replicated Delhi’s essence in these other locations, a cheaper option that still enables filmmakers to maintain the authenticity of their stories without spending too much money. To my amazement, the production costs of re-creating Delhi scenes out of its actual location still manage to be lower than the costs of shooting at the real Delhi locations.

A producer confirmed that, at the shooting locations the costs risen, he said, “Planning to shoot at site like Rajiv Chowk costs you lot of money, you have to pay Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, New Delhi Municipal Council, parking fees, and security costs done by Delhi Police which is a lot for you to pay. Thus, you may have to reschedule your shooting schedule.

Famous films like Aamir Khan’s “Sitaare Zameen Par,” Janhvi Kapoor’s “Ulajh,” and Ajay Devgn’s “Raid 2” have been forced to readjust their shooting schedules because of the limited funds related to Delhi locations. The film industry’s move towards the less costly but more effective options shows the practical way that filmmakers take to get films done in a more efficient way while still making the best possible films.

Bollywood, which is still adapting to the changing environment of the film production, strives to find the perfect balance between the cheapest yet the most visually-appealing shooting locations, hence this is a vital part of the creative decision-making. The Delhi’s beauty may still last, but the real reasons that push to change the shooting strategies in the world of Indian cinema are the practical reasons.