May 22, 2026 3:20pm IST
Madhya Pradesh Woos Film, OTT and TV Producers
Madhya Pradesh has twice been acknowledged as the most film-friendly state in the country and it does not take this tag lightly. With the new Film Tourism Policy 2025, the state’s government aims to ramp up its film-friendly reputation with an ambitious plan to establish the state as a premier cine hub and create an environment where cinema is nurtured and celebrated.
The fact that India’s official back-to-back entries to the Oscars — “Laapataa Ladies” in 2024 and Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Homebound” in 2025 — have been entirely lensed in the state has bolstered the state’s confidence as it gets ready to bring much more under the policy’s ambit.
Senior advisor in MP Tourism’s Film Facilitation Cell, Vani Tripathi Tikoo, says the Film Tourism Policy 2020 (amended in 2025) has been dynamic for more than five years now, but the 2.0 version of the policy is aimed at revving up the infrastructure, establishing production labs, organizing film festivals, and reaching out to more independent storytellers, documentary filmmakers, and content creators. Tikoo, who calls MP her ‘karmabhoomi,’ having started her stage journey in Bhopal at the age of eight, says, “The people in the state are culturally alive and attuned. All the regions in the state have their distinct artistic traditions. You will not find a single auditorium free in the evenings; they are all packed with cultural events, 365 days of the year! Here, in MP, you have the country’s first state-run drama school — MP Natya Vidyalya — which is soon to become a university. MP’s embrace of all things cinema and culture is like a big hug. It is fitting that MP is leading the central government’s clarion call to Make-in-India-Shoot-in-India.”
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Infrastructure push and initiatives
While the policy has been generous with incentives, exemptions, reimbursements (See table), the big push in the updated policy is on cinema-related infrastructure and facilities. “The policy,” says Ram Kumar Tiwari, Deputy Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, “actively promotes film-related infrastructure as a priority investment sector. The state offers incentives, land-allotment support, and capital subsidies for film infrastructure projects, including studios, post-production and AVGC facilities, and associated services.”
The biggest thrust to infrastructure that Tikoo believes will be “a game-changer” is that single-screen theatres will be part of government policy. “This is where real change starts. For independent producers who work on piddly budgets of less than ₹20 crore, and who complain they don’t get theatres, will now be assured of a theatrical release,” she says.
Provisions have been made in the policy for a state-of-the-art five-day state-wide film festival that will curate the best of national and international cinema. The policy also offers special incentives, rebates and subsidies for films that deal with social issues relevant to women and children, and those that are based on MP’s iconic and prominent personalities.
A producers lab to teach production to young filmmakers is in the works too. “No film school in India teaches production. Young filmmakers are all at sea when it comes to producing and pitching a project. For them to get a hang of it, they have to look and hunt for mentors. This proposed lab will serve as an incubatory mentorship lab,” notes Tikoo.
Island in the sun!
To ensure that the production teams want for nothing, the state has pulled out an island from its hat. Yes, an island. “The Boriyamal Island in Hanuwantiya has a 360-degree waterfront with a panoramic scenic view that looks like Maldives. New locations are found, restored, and resurrected in MP,” shares Tikoo excitedly.
Presence and partnerships
In the past, several international projects — “Lion,” “The White Tiger,” “A Suitable Boy” — have been shot in MP, and more international shoots are in the offing. Sharing news of forthcoming international projects, Tikoo says, “With 2026 being celebrated as the dual year of culture between Spain and India, an MoU for tourism and film development has been signed between the Spanish Film Commission and the Government of Madhya Pradesh.”
From January next year, a ‘massive Spanish TV project’ will commence shoot in the state and there’s another Spanish TV series that will soon confirm their plans to shoot in the state. There’s optimism that a recent “Warner Bros. query” will fructify into a big Hollywood movie filming in MP. In the domestic circuit, two big banners —including Emmay Entertainment — from Mumbai will begin shooting in MP from early next year.
Tourism and other spin-offs
“The Madhya Pradesh Film Tourism Policy has significantly enhanced the state’s national and international visibility by positioning MP as a film-friendly, production-ready destination,” says Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture & Home, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, and Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board.
“As a result, iconic locations such as Bhopal, Maheshwar, Orchha, Mandu, Chanderi, Jabalpur and Pachmarhi etc., have appeared prominently in mainstream films, OTT series, documentaries, and international projects. This consistent screen presence has boosted MP’s brand perception, driving curiosity and travel interest among audiences,” he adds.
The small, sleepy, quaint village in MP’s Sehore district where the web series Panchayat was shot has seen a steady stream of tourists since the series was aired. “Culture and cinema will feed into tourism destinations. We have seen how film subsidies and festivals made places like Mallorca and Cayman Islands such a hit with tourists,” says Tikoo.
MP’S USP
“The greatest success of the Madhya Pradesh Film Tourism Policy has been its ability to convert intent into impact,” opines Shukla. “The vision set by the state’s political leadership — to build MP as a film-friendly hub — gave us clarity and direction. Their understanding that cinema is not only an art form but also a structured business opportunity enabled us to design a policy that is both creative and commercially meaningful.”
Tikoo says MP’s biggest assets are its people, its governance, and the line producers. “Come March 31, when the cultural calendar comes to a close, and the subsidy amounts of a few crores will already have been credited into your account. No asking, no follow-up needed. What works here is this collaboration of great governance, amazing bureaucrats, line producers who are deeply honest and make your life easier, and the people of the state who are like a clenched fist.”
Ease of doing business
The Film Facilitation Cell (FFC) helmed by the Managing Director of the MP Tourism Board has been conceived as a nodal agency of the state for Film Tourism. All applications are routed through FFC in online mode, and the agency scrutinizes each application and sanctions subsidies if the enlisted criteria are met.
Says Tiwari, “The Film Tourism Policy offers subsidies and incentives on local expenditure and production costs. Single-window, fast-track clearances through a digital portal reduce lead times significantly. Detailed directories of local crew, vendors, location scouts, transport services, and vetted hospitality options are made available to simplify logistics.” For projects requiring central-level permissions, the system is also integrated with India Cine Hub and national facilitation resources, ensuring greater predictability and ease for international productions.
It’s people all the way
“Unlike many other cities where people may find it disruptive or a nuisance to have shoots hinder their movements, MP is exactly the opposite,” insists Tikoo. Citing the example of Stree, which was shot in Chanderi, MP, she says: “For the duration of shoot, the weekly haat was cancelled by the artisans themselves so that the film unit could go about their shoot seamlessly. ‘Yeh hamare aththith hai’, they said. And to think that these artisans’ livelihood depends on this haat.” It is the same vibe everywhere in this film-loving state, she says.
For a state once associated with the dakus of Chambal and other dreaded dacoits, MP, Tikoo says emphatically, is one of the safest states. “I say this with great responsibility that MP is among the safest states in the country.”
Wins and learnings
“In terms of learnings, we have understood that the film industry evolves very rapidly, and therefore our policies must remain equally agile. We maintain continuous engagement with industry leaders, key producers, and associations such as the Producers Guild of India to ensure our policy decisions remain grounded in real industry feedback and emerging trends,” avers Shukla. Another win, he says, has been the positive economic ripple effect — local employment, hospitality demand, skill development, and the rise of MP-based production services. “These outcomes show that the policy is not merely about attracting shoots but also about building a sustainable ecosystem.”
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