IN OPINION OF INDIAN BUSINESSMEN, MAKING AN INDIAN FILM IN ARMENIA TO GIVE IMPETUS TO TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
Noyan Tapan
Mar 20 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian-Indian relations have
entereed a new stage. RA Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Bayburtian
expressed this opinion at a press conference with the participation of
representatives of the Indian business delegation at the RA Ministry
of Foreign Affairs on March 20. The delegation came to Armenia on the
initiative of Harshad Mehta, Honorary Consul of Armenia in Mumbai,
who is also a big investor in Armenia where he has two diamond cutting
enterprises. Among the Indian businessmen are representatives of
Bollywood – an Indian film production company. According to Honorary
Consul H. Mehta, they intend to make films in Armenia and about
Armenia. He said about 1,000 films are made in Bollywood each year,
which are watched by 1.5 bln people all over the world, and an Indian
film made in Armenia will promote the development of the country’s
tourism. “Wherever Bollywood goes, it is followed by tourists,” the
company director Mukesh Bhatt assured. He said that he was a producer
of 45 films, 27 of which were made in various countries, in which an
increase in the number of tourits started after that. He expressed a
hope that he will become the first Indian film producers to make films
in Armenia. Mukesh Bhatt indicated the absence of direct Yerevan-Delhi
flights as the only difficulty, adding that he was promised that such
flights will be operated soon, while the Armenian partners promised
to provide all the equipment necessary for a film. It was noted during
the press conference that in 2005, goods worth a total of about 11 mln
USD were imported into Armenia from India, and exports from Armenia
to India made about 400 thousand USD. The two countries are closely
cooperating in the spheres of culture, education and science.