Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on 14 July announced that two new studios with centralised air conditioning rooms would be set-up at the MGR film and Television Institute, one of the three major institutes in India, at Taramani in Chennai. A sum of Rs 15 crore will be spent in getting sophisticated equipment for the institute.
Making a statement under rule 110 of the assembly, The CM said: “The number of films and television serials being produced using digital technology had been increasing day by day and as a result, the need for more studios had also gone up.” The South Indian film producers, directors and technicians had requested her to set up more number of studios, she added.
Jayalalithaa also recalled that financial assistance of Rs 10 crore was allocated by her government for conducting the centenary festival of Indian cinema and a new course- Animation and VFX, which was started in the MGR Film Institute, at a price of 9.50 crore .
The CM believed that the new studios would not only help out the film industry but would also provide a great opportunity to students of the film institute.
While the preview theatre at the institute was renovated at Rs 0.99 crore, the shooting floor was renovated at a cost of Rs 1.43 crore. Nearly 20,000 members were enrolled in the welfare board for film employees and various forms of assistance were being provided, she added.
