Presenting Uttar Pradesh as a film-friendly state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday invited prominent members from the entertainment industry to explore his state as a film-making destination.

Interacting with members of Bollywood here, the chief minister said, ”We have made two of your film fraternity members as MPs and we know the issues you face and what needs to be done. Cinema plays a crucial role in uniting the society and preserving the unity and sovereignty of the country.” Adityanath, who is visiting Mumbai to promote an investor summit to be held in Lucknow next month, said Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a film-friendly state and this has been recognised at the National Film Awards and the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

Apart from safe environment, the northern state has good connectivity, he said. The chief minister said under his government’s film policy, if a web series is filmed in UP, it will be given 50 per cent subsidy. Likewise, 25 per cent subsidy is given for setting up studios and film labs. Producer Boney Kapoor, Gorakhpur Lok Sabha MP and actor Ravi Kishen, Bhojpuri actor Dinesh Lal Nirhua, playback singers Sonu Nigam, Kailash Kher, actor Suniel Shetty, filmmakers Chandraprakash Dwivedi, Madhur Bhandarkar and Rajkumar Santoshi, were among those who were present at the event.