MUMBAI: As thousands of migrants return to Udaipur from neighbouring states amid the lockdown, many are seeking employment in their native place and the Rajasthan government has been urged to start a Film City in this tourist town which will help migrants earn their livelihood while generating employment opportunities for several others.

"Setting up a Film City can provide employment to every section," says Mukesh Madhwani, Chairman of Rajasthan Film City Sangharsh Samiti.

According to him, "There is a lot of scope for the film industry in Udaipur. The establishment of a Film City in this Lake City can be quite effective, as every section can get employment in one form or the other, as well as many people around Film City can also earn their livelihood through self-employment."

Amid present times, Film City in Udaipur will be like 'Sanjeevani' for migrant labourers who returned in big numbers from Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Madhwani further said that the land in Gogunda has already been proposed by the local administration, however the announcement from the government is required.

So far, over 8 lakh migrant labourers have returned to the state out of which over 50,000 labourers have returned to Udaipur. In such a situation, the establishment of a film city will be a major boost which can further contribute to the economy of the state.

If a film city is established in Udaipur, then tourism shall get a further boost, the hotel industry will also expand and poor people will get employment.

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Presently, people are not eating out and hence there is a threat to livelihood of restaurants, kiosks, small outlets etc and they are looking forward to a regular income. A film city can help them in this perspective, he added.

Pitching his voice in favour of Madhwani, Jairam, a restaurant owner said that running a restaurant is a big challenge now as people don't want to come out and eat. A decent solution is the need of the hour to current crisis.

Meanwhile, migrants coming here have pledged not to go out of their town to earn more.

A migrant worker who returned from Maharashtra, Hiralal Gameti told IANS, "Corona time has taught us a big lesson, we will now prefer earning less rather than going out in greed to earn more. Now, we can't risk our family and ourselves by going out," he said.

Similarly Kailash Patel, another migrant worker who returned from Gujarat said, "We will be happy to take up any small job rather than going out and earn in these difficult times."

Over the past 40 years, more than 500 Bollywood, Rajasthani, south Indian films and even Hollywood films have been shot here.

Besides this, many TV serials, advertisements and music videos have been shot here showcasing the natural beauty of Udaipur.

But despite this, the city of Udaipur has not been able to get its Film City till date which if done can change the fortunes of the city, Madhwani added.

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