Cannes 2022: Indo-Australian film announced after govt's incentive for shooting in India

Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, who walked the Cannes Film Festival with an 11-member Indian delegation, had announced incentives for foreign films shot in the country. The steps were initiated to make India a global content hub. Soon after the announcement of the incentives, an Australian film is all set to make use of the benefit.

The Australian film The Laugh of Lakshmi, by renowned theater director-turned-filmmaker S. Shakthidharan, will begin shooting in India in early 2023. The project, which was announced at Cannes Film Festival on May 19, will be an India-Australia joint venture, helmed by S Shakthidharan, an Australian with Sri Lankan and Tamil ancestry. 

Australian film The Laugh of Lakshmi to begin shoot in India

During the opening ceremony of the India Pavillion at the 75th Cannes festival, Anurag Thakur announced the incentive scheme for audio-visual co-production and shooting of foreign films in India with a cash incentive of up to 30% and a cap of $2,60,000. He had also announced incentives to boost local employment.

Now, post the newly-introduced scheme, the Australian film is set to begin shooting in the country. According to Variety, the film is a dance drama with the plotline revolving around the story of a mother and a son separated by war in Sri Lanka. The mother, a celebrated classical dancer, sends her young son, also a brilliant dancer, to the care of her brother in Sydney.

Rakasree Basu, CEO of Frames Per Second Films, Mumbai, said that The Laugh of Lakshmi would be their first venture with Australia, and would be produced by John Maynard at Felix Media in Australia. The movie will be shot in Tamil Nadu and Australia.

Rakasree Basu, CEO of Frames Per Second Films, said in a statement: “I welcome the newly announced incentive for foreign film and television production by the government of India. This will certainly encourage and enrich all foreign productions planning to shoot in India with knowledgeable and proficient Indian cast and crew. This initiative will motivate foreign filmmakers to explore intercultural workspace, boost shared learning of filming practices and make India an attractive filming destination for international productions. It is indeed a good start for India as a country of honor in Cannes.”

As per the report, Shakthidharan – also the writer – will be crossing over from a career in theatre to cinema with this film. His play, Counting and Cracking, set over four generations in Sri Lanka and Australia, was a huge success and won seven Helpmann Awards in Australia. Sri Lankan filmmaking doyen Prasanna Vithanage will advise Frames Per Second Films on the project.