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May 12, 2008 10:49 pm US/Eastern
Miami Becomes A Part Of Bollywood's Landscape
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Miami has evolved from the days of Ricardo and Tubbs of the original Miami Vice show.
NBC
Hollywood blockbusters are no strangers to South Florida, with recent flicks such as Miami Vice, Too Fast Too Furious and Bad Boys showcasing our sunshine and views, but the real rising star in our area currently appears to be Bollywood films.
Involving singing in Hindi, dancing, and love scenes that don't include kissing, Bollywood is India's answer to Hollywood. It just wrapped its first movie shoot in Miami, working out of a small office at the Doubletree Hotel, in Downtown Miami.
"It was good to come into a town with this kind of blue ocean, and beautiful people and beautiful landscape," said producer Prashant Shah.
Shah admits though that state cash incentives help make Florida an appealing place to shoot.
"It's like trying to go to dinner and suddenly they give you a little dessert at no charge, you always go back to that restaurant," said Shah.
But the State legislature is slashing Florida's film subsidies budget by $25 million, potentially hurting our movie industry.
"I think it's pathetic the state doesn't see the economic value this has short term and long term to the growth of our state," said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.
That's why Diaz says he's working had to form close ties with Bollywood. The goal is to create jobs and bring more tourists, and the mayor believes the folks from India's film industry won't focus solely on what the state can do for them.
The next India-Miami connection could come as early as June 2009. The city is in talks with the organizers of India's version of the academy awards, to hold the big event here in Miami.
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