KK Raina: The process of applying for subsidy is quite long

KK Raina, the National Award winning script writer and actor is one of the few people to have spoken against the UP government’s subsidy programme to filmmakers for shooting in the state. The veteran artist wanted to make a film in UP a couple of years ago, but dropped the idea after facing obstacles while applying for subsidy here.
“Hum isliye aaye thay ki UP government is encouraging filmmakers, but unfortunately the process of applying for subsidy is quite long, so at one point, we gave up. Pehle pachees forms bharo, fir yeh dekhao ki aap kahan ke ho, fir usme unhone bataya hai ki they actually give preference to people who are from UP, which is fair enough.I have no complaints, but ek point pe aakar, honestly speaking, we got tired,” says Raina, who was in the city a while ago to perform in a play.
READ: Ila Arun and KK Raina staged the play Namaste in Jaipur
“Hamare Hindustan ki yeh sabse badi problem hai ki jahan bhi jao government ke process bahut lengthy hote hain. The UP CM is saying we are working towards streamlining the process, and I hope it happens, but every project has a timeline. If ten years are spent in making a film, by the time it gets completed, the message it is trying to give through the project loses its relevance. So we thought we should not get into it and do our work,” he adds, “I feel simply the project should be scrutinized, the credentials of a filmmaker should be checked and after that if you find the project is valid, it should be approved,” he adds, “We wanted the subsidy because we are not a big company. If we make a movie we need to have somebody to back us financially, if I am giving my 10 lakhs, then the other 30 lakhs has to come from somewhere.”
Ask him what he thinks about the changes in the UP film policy where subsidy is now given according to the number of days a film is shot in the state, the actor said, “Anything is good as long as the process of getting things is made easy.” So what was the film Raina had in mind? “It’s a woman-oriented subject and very relevant to UP. The story starts with the marriage of a girl of dusky complexion, the difficulties her parents face in finding a groom, even though she is very bright and educated.”
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Watch: Guftagoo with K K Raina