Roll camera action! Shooting begins in Queen of Hills

DARJEELING: Post lockdown, the phrase-"Roll, Camera, Action"- reverberated in the mountains again.

With normality creeping in, film crews are also returning back to the Queen of the Hills.

Director, actor and singer Anjan Dutt is in town for the shooting of a web series.

"The lockdown owing to the pandemic had given a major blow to the film industry. As it is more of a community activity involving many components and people the entire process had come to a standstill. With the unlock happening and as I decided to shoot again, I didn't have any second thoughts on Darjeeling being the ideal location. It is the safest place, the people are great and helpful, the place has a lot to offer. It can surpass any hill station in the country in terms of its scenic beauty," he said.

"From sprawling lush green tea gardens to snow capped mountains, dense forests, Darjeeling has it all," stated Dutt while talking to Millennium Post.

The Director stated that Darjeeling has been a location of many landmark films. Even legends like Satyajit Ray chose Darjeeling as a location for his film "Kanchenjunga."

"Along with tea and tourism, Darjeeling should also be projected as an ideal film shoot destination,"remarked the noted director.

For Dutt, it's more of a homecoming too, having done his schooling at St. Paul's, Darjeeling.

This hill town has been the location for many of his earlier movies.

The shoot for the web series commenced in Darjeeling on February 15 and will continue till February 27.

Recently another Bengali film "Abar Bochor Koori Pore," directed by Srimanta Sengupta was shot in the picturesque hamlet Takdah, 27 km from Darjeeling town.

"Darjeeling is fast emerging as an important shooting destination. Earlier, it was just the towns. Now, it is the rural areas also.

This further promotes rural tourism with homestays benefiting. With the cast and crew coming in, the local economy is definitely getting rejuvenated, specially after the Covid lockdown," stated Norbu G Lama, president, Rangli Rangliot Homestay Association.