Shifting Bollywood from Mumbai won't be as easy as moving IFSC: Sena
There are attempts to harm Mumbai’s identity with plans to move Bollywood out of the city, but shifting the film industry would not be as easy as taking the International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) away from India’s financial capital, the Shiv Sena said on Saturday (October 17).
There are attempts to harm Mumbai’s identity with plans to move Bollywood out of the city, but shifting the film industry would not be as easy as taking the International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) away from India’s financial capital, the Shiv Sena said on Saturday (October 17).
“There are attempts to defame and demoralise Bollywood. In a way, it is an attempt from behind the curtains to finish off Mumbai and Maharashtra’s identity,” Saamana, the Sena’s mouthpiece, said in an editorial. “But it will not be as easy as moving the International Financial Service Centre out of Mumbai. Mumbai is not only the financial capital but also the entertainment capital,” it said, reported Hindustan Times.
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According to the Saamana, the chief minister has held discussions with people from the industry to allay their concerns about Bollywood being shifted.
The IFSC was initially planned to be set up in Mumbai, but it was shifted to Gujarat.
The editorial comes a couple of days after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said any attempt to harm the Hindi film industry based out of Mumbai will not be tolerated.
The industry has been in the spotlight since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, which is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The initial investigations before the CBI’s arrival had revealed a drug angle, which is now being probed by the Narcotics Control Bureau. The Enforcement Directorate is also involved in the investigations. This has prompted some to see it as a tussle between the state and the central governments.
On Thursday, Thackeray had said that over the past few days there have been “attempts from certain quarters to malign the image of the film industry”. This is painful, he said, adding, any move to “finish off” Bollywood or shift it elsewhere will not be tolerated.
Saamana said that while Rajput’s death was “unfortunate”, the “drama that followed on the small screens (TV news) was unbearable”. Also, while Bollywood was alleged to be using drugs, no evidence could be furnished to prove it, it said, according to Hindustan Times.
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The editorial also made a mention of Vivek Oberoi whose house was raided by the Bengaluru police, who are looking for his brother-in-law Aditya Alva in a drugs racket that is said to be connected to Sandalwood, the Kannada film industry. “Vivek Oberoi is a known BJP supporter. He may not have any connection to the drugs case, but you cannot trust anyone these days,” the editorial said.
