Mall wanted Rs.2.5 lakh an hour to allow shooting, says Lakhia

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) Shooting at public places in Mumbai seems to be becoming difficult, thanks to exorbitant rent rates. This, director Apoorva Lakhia discovered when he decided to shoot his horror film 'Hide 'N' Seek' in a shopping mall here.

'I was told the rental charge at a city mall would be Rs 2.5 lakh per hour! It was more economical for me to shoot in Bangkok's Sony Mall. It's quite understandable why more and more units are shooting away from Mumbai,' Lakhia told IANS.

He finally shot in a mall in Ahmedabad.

'We had to shoot for 21 days and we were given permission to shoot from 11p.m. to 6 a.m. And thereafter in the basement for a couple of hours every day... all this, mind you, for Rs.50,000 per day. Compared to this throwaway rate, which I got partly because the mall is owned by a friend of mine, the Rs.2.5 lakh per hour that I was asked to cough up in the Mumbai mall is a joke.'

Lakhia feels Mumbai needs to get realistic about shooting rates in public places.