The Uttar Pradesh Government will soon have a film policy based on the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party’s ideology of Sarvajan Hitay Sarvajan Sukhay. Explaining the vision, Chairperson of the UP Film Development Council (UPFDC), Yashwant Nikose, said, “Hollywood is commercial cinema, Bollywood is masala cinema, we are trying to create Bahujanwood which will be sarvajan cinema.” Clearly, the existing film policy of 1999, which was amended in 2001, is under extensive review.

Nikose said the proposed body would promote not merely films but also the entire art and culture of the state in a holistic manner. “The aim is to explore the hidden talent of artistes belonging to the socially and economically backward sections,” he said. Efforts are on to revamp the Film Bandhu—a body for execution of film policy—and UP Film Development Council, the advisory body for Film Bandhu.

Currently, bureaucrats run the Film Bandhu. During the previous regime, the UPFDC had a renowned film personality as its chairperson with other members of the film community as its members. The Government sources said the present attempt is to convert the Film Bandhu and the UPFDC into one autonomous body to implement the state's film policy.

Explaining the need for a new policy, Nikose said the old policy neither encouraged employment nor talked of revenue generation. It only extended financial help to filmmakers who shot 75 per cent of their films in the state. “No subsidy has been given to any filmmaker in the past three years,” he added.

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