Grant to Films - Films Shot in Uttarakhand with a Budget of Minimum Rs 50 Crores or More

What is the Grant to Films for big-budget shoots in Uttarakhand?

Grant to Films is an incentive under the Uttarakhand Film Policy, 2024, notified by the Information and Public Relations Department and administered by the Uttarakhand Film Development Council (UFDC). Class 6(3) of the policy covers a specific category: films shot in Uttarakhand with a budget of a minimum of Rs 50 crore or more.

The policy's aim is straightforward. Uttarakhand wants large productions to move real money into the state; hiring local crew, booking local accommodation, buying local services: rather than simply using its landscape as a backdrop. The state markets itself as India's most film-friendly state, and recent productions including Badhaai Do, Sam Bahadur, Mili and OTT series such as Citadel and Do Patti have shot there. The grant is the financial half of that pitch; the single-window shooting permission system is the administrative half.

This is an institutional incentive, not a citizen benefit. The grant is paid to the film producer or their duly authorised representative, an individual or an institution. A member of the public cannot apply for a personal payment under it.

How much is the grant?

Under Class 6(3) of the Uttarakhand Film Policy 2024, a film that has been shot in Uttarakhand and has a budget of a minimum of Rs 50 crore or more, with a minimum expenditure of Rs 3 crore in the state, and whose shooting locations are appropriately showcased, is eligible for:

• A grant equal to 30% of the expenditure incurred in Uttarakhand, or
• up to Rs 3 crore, whichever is less.

The policy adds that the maximum sanctioned amount is assessed on the quality and technical aspects of the film, so the 30% figure is a ceiling calculation rather than an automatic entitlement.

Two add-ons sit alongside the main grant:

• An additional 5% of the sanctioned grant where the film uses the authentic, real names of Uttarakhand locations rather than fictionalising them.
• Support for locally domiciled technicians; where technicians hold Uttarakhand domicile, the combined actual payment to a maximum of five eligible technicians, or up to Rs 10 lakh, whichever is less, can be granted. The five recognised technical categories are cinematography, art direction, sound direction and engineering, music direction, and editing.

For context, the same policy gives a foreign language film shot in Uttarakhand with more than Rs 3 crore of in-state spend a higher rate, 50% of the in-state expenditure or up to Rs 3 crore, whichever is less.

Who is eligible for this grant?

A producer can be considered if:

• The film has a budget of at least Rs 50 crore.
• The film spent at least Rs 3 crore inside Uttarakhand on production.
• The film was shot in Uttarakhand and the shooting locations are appropriately showcased on screen.
• The film holds a shooting permission letter issued by the Council and a CBFC certificate.
• The film was filmed at a minimum resolution of 4K with Dolby Digital or higher sound quality.
• The film was shown or premiered on at least 50 cinema screens for one week, excluding OTT broadcasts, or is broadcast on a Council-approved OTT platform with the platform agreement attached.
• Every filming location in the state is included in the credits roll.
• At least 90% of total expenditure was paid digitally, bank, cheque, online, internet banking or UPI.

Who cannot apply / is not eligible:

• Individual citizens, actors, crew members or viewers cannot apply for a personal benefit. The grant goes only to the film producer or an authorised representative.
• A film that spent less than Rs 3 crore in the state, however large its overall budget, is not eligible under this class.
• Marketing, promotion and release expenditure is not eligible — only production expenses incurred within Uttarakhand count towards the 30%.
• A production where cash expenditure exceeds 10% of total expenditure does not qualify, and even that 10% is allowed only in unavoidable circumstances on a chartered accountant's certification.
• A film shot without the Council's shooting permission letter cannot support a claim, because the permission letter is a listed requirement.
• A foreign film shot without a Government of India permission letter is not eligible.

What documents does the Council require?

• Shooting permission letter issued online by the Council's nodal officer.
• CBFC (Censor Board) certificate for the film.
• Statement of expenditure incurred in the state during the shooting period, accompanied by invoices and bills and a chartered accountant's certificate.
• Proof of theatrical exhibition on at least 50 screens for one week, in a form the Council recognises.
• OTT platform agreement, where the claim rests on OTT broadcast on a Council-approved platform.
• Government of India permission letter, for foreign films.
• Domicile certificates for Uttarakhand artists and technicians, where the additional technician or cast grant is claimed.

How to apply for the Grant to Films

1. Take shooting permission from the Council first. Apply through the single-window system for the locations you intend to use. Under the policy, departments give their consent within one week and the Council issues online approval within a maximum of two weeks. The permission letter is valid for shooting at all public locations in the state and is a prerequisite for the grant.
2. Shoot to the technical specification and keep a clean money trail. Film at a minimum of 4K with Dolby Digital or better sound, pay at least 90% of costs digitally, and keep every invoice for in-state spending.
3. Complete certification and release. Obtain the CBFC certificate, credit every Uttarakhand filming location in the credits roll, and release the film on at least 50 screens for one week or on a Council-approved OTT platform.
4. Submit the grant proposal to the Uttarakhand Film Development Council with the chartered accountant certified statement of in-state expenditure, the permission letter, the CBFC certificate and proof of exhibition.
5. Clear the two-committee process. A technical committee, chaired by the Vice Chairman of the Council, examines the proposal. Once it approves, the finance committee, chaired by the Director General Information / Chief Executive Officer, makes its recommendation, and the final decision rests with the Chairman.

Producers contact the Council at ufdc2015@gmail.com or through ufdc.uk.gov.in, which also hosts the film policy booklet and the line producer registration form.

What else does the Film Policy 2024 give a production?

The grant is one part of a wider package, and a producer planning a shoot should know the rest:

• No shooting fee. The state government charges no fee for film shooting, and no other state department may charge one. Forest department shooting charges stand abolished, except at Rajaji National Park and Corbett National Park, where prescribed rates apply. Any pre-existing parking fee at a location is still payable.
• Free police cover. On the producer's request, the Senior Superintendent or Superintendent of Police stations a minimum of five officers at the shooting location free of charge for the shoot's duration; officers beyond five are charged at specified rates.
• 50% discount on accommodation at Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam and Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam properties, state guest houses and hotels empanelled with the Information department. The Council reimburses the discount directly to the property.
• Recce subsidy of 30%, or up to Rs 5 lakh, whichever is less, on money spent scouting locations; provided the producer takes the Council's permission before the recce.
• Line producer registration, requiring at least three years of documented experience in Uttarakhand and a firm registered in the state; up to three line producers may be registered from one firm.
• Scholarships for Uttarakhand-domiciled students admitted to the Film & Television Institute, Pune, or the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata to 50% for general category and 75% for SC, ST and OBC candidates, for the first five students each year on merit.

Why does a grant claim fail?

• In-state spend below Rs 3 crore, which disqualifies the film under this class regardless of its total budget.
• No Council shooting permission letter, which cannot be issued retrospectively for a completed shoot.
• Cash expenditure above 10% of total expenditure, or cash without a chartered accountant's certification.
• Marketing and promotion costs claimed as production expenditure.
• Release condition not met: fewer than 50 screens, or less than a week's run, without an approved OTT alternative.
• Locations not credited in the credits roll, which the policy requires explicitly.
• Technical specification not met, where the film was shot below 4K or with sound below Dolby Digital.

Where can a producer raise a problem?

• Uttarakhand Film Development Council, ufdc.uk.gov.in and ufdc2015@gmail.com, which is the operating authority for permissions and grants.
• Nodal Officer / Chief Executive Officer of the Council, who issues permission letters and conveys permission or rejection within two weeks of the shooting application.
• Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Uttarakhand, the administrative department behind the policy.

Two transition points are worth noting. Films authorised to shoot within one year of the 2024 policy's commencement may choose between the earlier 2015 policy (as amended in 2019) and the 2024 policy, and must then follow the chosen one strictly. And where the Hindi and English versions of the Uttarakhand Film Policy 2024 differ, the policy states that only the Hindi text is authentic, so a producer relying on a fine point should check the Hindi booklet.