Ambani keen to revive Rupayan studio, Buddha rolls out red carpet for SRK

Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay Posted: Jul 04, 2008 at 0049 hrs
Kolkata, July 3 Anil Ambani’s Adlabs, already part of the entertainment sector in West Bengal with Big FM, is now making inroads in the state’s film industry. It has expressed an interest in taking over Rupayan studio, the state government’s sick PSU at Salt Lake. The state government has lost Rs 86 crore in the venture.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee declared in the Assembly that Reliance was keen to take over the film studio.

Later, Dilip Chakrabarty, Principal Secretary in the Department of Information and Culture said: “I don’t know whether the Ambanis had sent any other proposal directly to the chief minister. Adlabs is one of the 14 companies that have shown interest in taking over the studio that has not been doing business for the last two years. After shortlisting, financial bids will be invited,” Chakrabarty told Indian Express.

He also mentioned that Zee Telefilms, the single bidder for the state government-owned Technicians Studio, has been asked to submit its bid a second time as the price it quoted was below the reserve price fixed by the government.

The chief minister also announced in the Assembly that the State Government had requested film star Shah Rukh Khan to set up a film studio here.

“Recently, Shah Rukh met me and offered to set up a cricket academy in Kolkata. We requested him to set up a film studio. He said he would think it over and get back to us,” the chief minister said.

He also said the government wanted more multiplexes as cinema halls were not doing well.

“We are giving tax benefits to cinema hall owners who are willing to switch to mutiplexes,” Bhattacharjee said.