Government says no to investing in films but open to providing framework

Ruling out the possibility of government investing in films or content creation, Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal said the government can look at providing the framework but the bulk of the entertainment industry has to be private. The government will be there to provide background support and framework that you need but please don't ask the government to be storytellers because they aren't, Sanyal said at the Ficci Frames event here.

He added that the government cannot invest in films and at best it might be limited to creating some documentaries but expecting the government to do everything would be equivalent to Supreme Court running cricket in the country. Sanyal said the country has a rich treasure trove of stories yet in the national policy the mining of coal, airwaves and other natural resources are discussed but there is almost no discussion on storytelling.

Even though entertainment in its wide range of opportunities is a very important part of our economy it has literally zero mind space in policymaking, he said. Sanyal, who is also a writer, said Indians are under confident of their storytelling and are apologetic of story delivery, which needs to change. Noting that the Indian Premier League has managed to carve its place as a global property that international players vie for it.

(With inputs from agencies.)