Austria wants Bollywood to come and shoot

Vienna, Oct 6 (PTI) As the multi-billion dollar Indian
film industry searches for new foreign locations for
shooting, Austrian President, who loves Hindi films, wants
them to come and set up shop here.
Bollywood (Indian film industry) figured in the bilateral
talks held between President Pratibha Patil and her Swiss
counterpart Heinz Fischer here on Wednesday.
"The President (Austrian) knows a lot about India and has
lot of interest in India. He talked about Bollywood during his
discussion. He likes Bollywood a lot. His Economic Minister
also likes Bollywood," Minister of State for Parliamentary
Affairs Rajeev Shukla, who is also accompanying the President
on her State Visit to the country, told PTI.
He said the Fischer wants Bollywood directors and
producers to come to Vienna and Austria to shoot and make use
of the beautiful locations here.
"We told them that Bollywood keeps going to Switzerland
and they need new locations. And that if you give any
attractive packages and concession to them, they will
definitely come," Shukla said.
He added, "And they are ready for it. They want Bollywood
shooting to take place in Austria rather than other European
countries."
While many films have been shot in the picturesque
Switzerland, not many have been shot in Austria, a country
which is equally beautiful and more historic.
As films make the locations popular, tourists also follow
suit.
Last year, nearly 1.5 lakh Indian tourists visited
Switzerland whereas only about 50,000 visited Austria.
And on Vienna streets, Indians are known for their films
and brains.
Some of the locals that this reporter spoke to knew about
Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan and and India's edge in Information
Technology and scientific research.
"You people are good. You use logic," said Ludolf, a
local.
India is also known as a country of strong culture and
history.
Fischer has been to India a number of times. Speaking to
journalists, the President said he had visited the country
first in his personal capacity way back in 1972.
His last visit was in 2007 as the President, the first by
any Austrian Head of State. PTI SAP
MNS