Terrifying irony

Even as Israel warns its citizens to abort India travel plans, the country, which is under constant terror threat, tries to woo Bollywood to its shores

Terrifying irony

Even as Israel warns its citizens to abort India travel plans, the country, which is under constant terror threat, tries to woo Bollywood to its shores

The Swiss Alps and Golden Gate Bridge watch out. Israel has set its sight on Bollywood. The country is keen to have its landscape fill up Bollywood screen space, which is dominated by European and other international locations.

Two faces of Israel: The country's picturesque locales, like
Galileeu00a0are overshadowed by the constant threat of terror attacks

And Israel is aggressively pursing producers in tinsel town. Officials from the Israeli consulate are currently in talks with two producers, but remain tight-lipped about developments. However, Consul General Orna Sagiv said, "We want more producers to consider shooting in Israel as an option."

Israel, according to officials, is home to over 1 lakh citizens of Indian origin.u00a0 Popular Bollywood movies play on cable TV. In 2006, the country even hosted the Film Festival of India in Israel.

New law
However, what Sagiv is really riding on is the wave of hope, that new legislation in the country will boost Bollywood interest. The Law for the Encouragement of the Production of Films, approved last October, introduced a 20 per cent tax benefit for foreign productions. This, hope officials, will draw producers to their shores.

"But it's not only that. We are a small country with a diverse landscape. There's the Dead Sea, the mountains, the green plains, all in one country that's small enough to be traversed across in three to four hours by plane. The cost of living in Israel is also less than Europe," said Sagiv.

The hurdle
Yet, Israel evokes the spectre of terrorism, rather than picturesque locations. Sagiv is well aware that security concerns are the biggest hurdle they face while pursuing any business. "People say that Israel is not an option out of fear. However, terrorism happens everywhere, even in Mumbai. Of course, shooting in the West Bank, Gaza or other sensitive areas, where we can't promise your safety, is risky. But there are many other places to choose from," she added.

Living on the edge
Israel has been under a steady stream of attacks from Palestine since 1948, when it declared independence. The conflict still leads to regular bombing and rocket attacks. The last attack was on October 2, when Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip fired rockets into Shaar Hanegev in southern Israel.

Did you know?
No Indian films have been shot in Israel so far, say Israeli officials.

Why Israel may be attractive
The US has increasingly put up roadblocks for Indian filmmakers. The top instances include...
> Several Muslim members of Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan unit were denied US visas post 26/11. The American consulate rejected six applications even though some had travelled to the US before. Those denied visas included SRK's personal staff, actor Aamir Bashir and other Muslim members from the production team.
> Filmmaker Kabir Khan had a trying time getting a US visa for his film New York. He did not get a visa for two months despite having shot in the US six times before starting New York. His chief assistant director, whose name happens to be Ali, was stopped for three months too.