Film London and Bollywood sign agreement to promote ties

The Film and Television Producers Guild of India (FTPGI) and Film London signed an agreement to promote film ties.

Mumbai, Nov 22 : The Film and Television Producers Guild of India (FTPGI) and Film London signed an agreement to promote film ties.

The agreement was signed by Sandy Lieberson chairman of Film London and Ronnie Screwvala FTPGI president here on Wednesday.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and London's mayor Ken Livingstone also attended the function organised on the occasion.

Bachchan said the agreement would make the shooting of the Indian films in London easier.

"For London to extend this facility to us via this signing is a great beginning for greater cooperation between the two nations. We do hold very good relationship with Great Britain but I think in particular when this is focused towards film and the kind of help and cooperation that we expect from London, it is wonderfully well. We want locations, we want permissions. We want facilities immediately available we don't want bureaucratic hold ups," said Bachchan.

Meanwhile, London's mayor Ken Livingstone appreciated Bollywood by saying that films like Moulin Rouge had origins in Bollywood ideas.

"Moulin Rouge is one of the most successful films made in London we saw in the recent times. That could have been made in Bollywood and it stole all the best Bollywood ideas and that is the clearest form of plagiarism," said Livingstone.

As per the agreement London Film and FTPGI agreed to work together to share ideas and best practices on domestic and international film production and promotion.

According to film London over forty Bollywood film have been shot in London in the year 2006.

Success of "Namaste London" one of the recent hit shows that Hindi films generate around 5 million pounds in London annually.

ANI