MUMBAI: India has been attracting a lot of foreign filmmakers as a shooting destination for their films. Over the last three years, more than 90 foreign film productions have been cleared for shooting in different locations in India.

This has been possible mainly due to streamlining of procedure for granting requisite permissions for shooting in India by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The permission process normally takes not more than three weeks.

Permission was granted to 22 foreign film productions in 2006, 27 each in 2007 and 2008 and 17 already in 2009. Of these, 33 productions are of UK based organizations and 17 of US origin. The other production companies that are shooting in India are from France, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Russia, Georgia, Italy, Israel, Bangladesh and Pakistan among others.

Among recent productions are proposals from Mashorba Films Ltd; UK titled Indian Summer, Eat Pray Love from Waveland Pictures Ltd; London, UK featuring Julia Roberts.

The Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire was granted permission in the year 2007 under the original title of Q&A. Angelina Jolie starrer A Mighty Heart, which was featured at the Cannes Film Festival, was approved for shooting near Pune in 2006.

Cities in India that are preferred locations for for foreign film shoots are Goa, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Pune, Panchmarhi, Mumbai, Thane, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. As a result of this, the Indian economy has benefitted with foreign productions studios providing employment opportunity to locals, giving a fillip to hotel industry as also contribute export earnings of goods and service remittances.