Kochi: The heritage ‘Harbour Terminus’ station or the scenic Thrissur-Guruvayur rail section all are turning out to be favourite shooting locations, thanks to the railways which has simplified and hastened the lengthy procedure for granting permission.
“We’re eyeing a substantial increase in earnings from film shoots. While the sanctioning process used to be a time-consuming affair in the past, often irking the movie-makers, it is being issued on a priority basis now, taking only three to four days,” said a senior railway official.
Shooting permission is granted by the Chennai-based Chief Public Relations Officer of the Southern Railways. However, the same requires consent of all departments including Operational and Safety wings, often a lengthy procedure. However, the officials have now been directed to give quick approval by getting response of each of the departments on a priority basis.
The change in trend is already reflecting, with the “deserted” Harbour Terminus-Ernakulam section buzzing with shooting activities these days. In fact, the railways has started allotting trains too for shoots in the section which help it earn a whopping '4 to 6 lakh a day.
The past four days witnessed two films being shot in the Harbour Terminus station and near-by areas. The first one Nivin Pauly starrer- ‘Mikhayel’ was shot during the early hours on November 24 while that of the second one, ‘Irupathiyonnam Nootandu’ in which Pranav Mohanlal plays the lead, will be shot on Wednesday.
“For ‘Mikhayel,’ we ran a train, having a composition of a diesel engine and five coaches in the section. With the stoppage of passenger train operations, the section is readily available for film shoots,” the official said.
