Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will inaugurate the much-anticipated hi-tech film city 'Udaya Surya Hitech Film City' and film institute with state-of-the-art facilities constructed in place of the present Udaya Studio at Pathirappally in Alappuzha on April 30.
Union Minister Vayalar Ravi, Opposition leader Oommen Chandy, ministers M.A. Baby, P.K. Sreemathi, S. Sarma, G. Sudhakaran, K.P. Rajendran and actor Mammootty will be present at the inaugural function.
The film institute will start its academic year on the inaugural day itself with its first batch consisting of 30 students. The first project is a mega serial 'Parasuraman' which will run for three years.
According to the organizers, the new studio complex will bring a major chunk of the film industry’s activities back to Alappuzha, as it was during the heydays of Udaya Studio, established by the late Kunchako in 1947.
"Today, Malayalam film industry is a poor performer. Kannada, Marathi and Bengali films have overtaken Malayalam when it comes to technology and expertise and in turn, box office collections. Many of our theatres have switched over to screening only Tamil, Hindi or English films, mainly because of the technological superiority," Kailas Rao told a press conference in Alappuzha.
"It is not just technology or lack of good films that is hampering the Malayalam film industry. Unlike other states, our State imposes a 35% tax on films and does not offer subsidies or benefits like sales tax concessions to films," he pointed out, adding, "Film studios like Cherupushpam Studios, Merryland and Uma too had eventually ceased to function because of these factors."
"Our filmmakers, artistes and technicians have either migrated to other states or depend heavily on studios in Chennai or Hyderabad. This is where Uday Soorya can make a difference. We will offer a complete solution to modern motion picture producing needs, including floor settings, special effects, sound effects and all other technical requirements, again as user-friendly, cost-effective and readily available facilities," he concluded.
