The Film Director from the Republic of India, Mr Rohit Shetty, paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, on Wednesday morning, in Port-Louis. He was accompanied by the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, and the Director of the Mauritius Film Development Corporation, Mr Sachin Jootun. Ths visit was well covered in Indian media as Bollywood Hungama.
Mr Shetty indicated that he has come to Mauritius for the recce of his next film and to go through all the locations that can be used for the film.
On this note, he highlighted that the authorities in Mauritius have been very cooperative and supportive towards him. “This is very encouraging in particular for big production houses to feel welcome to come around and shoot,” the Director said.
As regards his meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr Shetty underlined that it was a very fruitful one adding that the Prime Minister a visionary leader, even towards the cinematographic sector. “I am really glad to have spoken to him about the expansion of the Indian cinema and other related facilities in Mauritius as well as the support that they can provide to cinematographers,” he stated.
The Indian Director underlined that he is in Mauritius since Monday 24 July 2023 and will be going back to India on Thursday 27 July 2023. “I will be coming again with my crew in August 2023, and shooting may start in October 2023,” he announced.
Interestingly, this will not be the first time where Rohit Shetty will be shooting in Mauritius. In the past, the filmmaker is expected to have shot some key scenes from the Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol starrer Dilwale in the country.
For his part, Minister Teeluck underlined that the meeting was an occasion for the Director to share his appreciation to the Prime Minister as regards the assistance and the logistics that the concerned authorities are providing to ensure the eventual shooting of a movie in Mauritius in the coming months.
Moreover, he remarked that Prime Minister Jugnauth seized the opportunity to share his vision for the local film industry, a vision that will enable Mauritius to become a shooting hub if we are successful in implementing this coming project. “If this project materialises, it will be a great boost for the local sector because when we talk about Mr Rohit Shetty, we’re taking into account high-quality production,” he added.
On this score, he expressed hope that this collaboration concretises and eventually gives further dynamism to Mauritius’ creative sector as well as promotes the image of Mauritius on other continents and in diaspora countries where Bollywood cinema is appreciated.
Mr Rohit Shetty is an Indian cinematographer and director, popularly known for his stunning action sequences and fast-paced plots. His work includes the box office hits ‘Singham’ (2011), the ‘Golmaal’ (2006) series, and ‘Singham Returns’ (2014). Mr Rohit Shetty’s 2015 release, action-comedy ‘Dilwale’ was a chart-topping success in the overseas market and resulted in a Filmfare nomination for Best Director.
As for Singham 3, the filmmaker recently announced that the film is in the making in an official statement wherein he also mentioned that the cast too will be revealed soon. ‘There have many speculations doing rounds about the star cast in Rohit Shetty’s next directorial, Singham Again. The film is currently in pre-production.
