Far from the core business of retailing, Indian malls are now subtly minting money with several films increasingly being shot in their arena.

Shopping malls have now become platforms to communicate and films are no exception, says Select Citywalk CEO Pranay Sinha.

Malls generally earn Rs 1.5 lakh for an eight-hour-long shoot and malls like Inorbit in Mumbai have even set up a special marketing team to promote their malls for events, shows and shoots.

Commenting on this revenue source, Inorbit Mall (head) T Anupam states, “We had factored film shoots during our initial revenue plan.”

Last year, Inorbit in Mumbai saw 12 shoots comprising both films and ad campaigns. “However, this year we have targeted 24 shoots,” Mr Anupam adds.

Film producers too are excited with this opportunity thrown open by the malls. A film producer would need at least Rs 15 lakhs to build a similar set, while mall charges are comparably insignificant.

Says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, “Malls are turning out to be the preferred choice of film producers by the virtue of sheer cost savings.”

The entire finale of blockbuster Kabhi Khushi, Khabhi Gham was shot in Blue Water mall in Kent, UK. Recently, a significant portion of the film Garam Masala was shot in Inorbit mall.

Indian malls could be an option for many more future film projects if the malls are able to present a more exotic feel, adds Mr Adarsh.

Malls, on their part provide free valet service, hassle-free security and a hygienic atmosphere to satisfy the crew’s needs.

The only catch, however, are that shoots done during busy hours disrupt the shopping experience for the consumers. As a result, malls often restrict shoots to non-trading hours.

“Since malls are a well-appointed and expensive space, it should be utilised to the maximum, specially when there is no concept of 24/7 malls in India,” Mr Sinha said adding that Select Citywalk is already geared up and designed to take on such shoots itself.

Courtesy: financialexpress.com