Tollywood Movie Duvvada Jagannadham (‘DJ’) filming complete

All India, 16th March 2017: The filming of the Telugu movie, DJ has come to a successful completion. Starring Allu Arjun and Pooja Hedge, the film was produced by Dil Raju’s Sri Venkateswara Creations and was shot over twelve days in eleven locations across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi has seen a surge in interest as the location of choice for Indian filmmakers, and this film, with 120 members of crew and over 40 dancers, marked the first from the Telugu industry, or ‘Tollywood’, one of the largest in India and producing on average 300 films per year.

“I have shot five films in India and for this my sixth film I wanted something completely new. Something exciting to match the script. I had seen movies made in Abu Dhabi and I knew this was the perfect location,” said Harish Shankar, writer and director of DJ. “I particularly appreciated the close assistance offered by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, who helped me to discover different locations to support the storyline and facilitated the filming process for us. I found the whole experience to be very smooth and everyone was very cooperative.”

twofour54 is the home of Abu Dhabi’s media and entertainment industry, and operated under the ownership of the Media Zone Authority. The Abu Dhabi Film Commission serves to enable filming across the Emirate, work with local authorities to ensure efficient processes, and provide a gateway to UAE support services and companies. Abu Dhabi has successfully hosted three large-scale Bollywood films in as many years, with ADFC working alongside twofour54’s production service division to ensure a world-class service and product.

“Working together with the team on the production of DJ has been a pleasure, and we are very proud of the work that has been put into bringing this filming to a close in Abu Dhabi,” said Jassim Al Nowais, Manager of ADFC. “The twelve day shoot across the Emirate highlighted eleven of the unique locations we have to offer, all supported by the public and private sector as well as a highly efficient film infrastructure. This is the first time we have worked with the Tollywood film industry, bringing together key figures in South Indian cinema, and we look forward to getting to work on the next project in the pipeline.”

Film makers from around world are increasingly attracted to Abu Dhabi’s wide range of easily-accessible locations, production and post-production facilities and film industry service partners, and for the Indian film industry, Abu Dhabi is only a few hours away.

“What sets twofour54 apart from other media hubs is its integrated industry ecosystem enabling quality content creation; the infrastructure, including superior post-production facilities, is unmatched in the region,” said Maryam Al Mheiri, the Acting CEO of the Media Zone Authority and twofour54. “We offer production and post-production services across many formats, and our global teams work seamlessly with clients from all over the world. Although we have worked on many successful Bollywood titles, this is our first Tollywood film and marks a very exciting step for us. South Indian cinema typically involves a wide range of locations and requires sophisticated post-production services. Film makers are seeking out our high level of production expertise to help them deliver a world-class product.”

-ENDS-

About twofour54
twofour54, home to Abu Dhabi’s media and entertainment industry, aims to cultivate Abu Dhabi’s media free zone and provide products and services to attract local, regional and international media businesses to the Emirate. Tasked with enabling a new generation of creative leaders and building Abu Dhabi as the Middle East’s leading hub for content creation, twofour54 provides world-class production facilities, talent development initiatives and training, and business support services for media companies.

Since establishment, twofour54 has licensed more than 550 Arabic and international media and entertainment companies including Sky News Arabia, Image Nation, Ubisoft, CNN, Fox, Flash Entertainment, M&C Saatchi, and Flat6labs, in addition to a pool of 600 bilingual talented freelancers. twofour54 is operated under the ownership of Media Zone Authority–Abu Dhabi, a government entity. For more information, visit www.twofour54.com<http://www.twofour54.com>

About Abu Dhabi Film Commission
Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC) facilitates film and TV production projects in Abu Dhabi, helping to build the UAE’s capital as the destination of choice in the MENA region for international and regional TV and film production. ADFC sits under the umbrella of the Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi.

ADFC assists filming at the Emirate’s most iconic and versatile locations through its support services which include budgeting, scouting for filming locations advice on script clearance, obtaining permits and visas plus access to companies within the UAE who provide production services, equipment and crew.

ADFC also administers a highly successful 30% production rebate scheme, the only cash-back incentive in the region. Introduced in 2012, the scheme has helped to attract some of the industry’s biggest and most popular productions including Disney’s Star Wars: Episode VII, Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious 7, Bollywood feature film Bang Bang from Fox Star Studios, BBC’s Top Gear and regional drama production, ‘The Brothers’ / Al Ikwa.

For further information about ADFC and its incentive scheme please see: http://www.film.gov.ae/

ABOUT ABU DHABI TOURISM & CULTURE AUTHORITY 
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction which enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike. The authority manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment. Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The authority supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage. A key authority role is to create synergy in the destination’s development through close co-ordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base.

For more information please contact:
Anu Bhat
PR and Brand Executive
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority
India
Tel: +91 11 23737348, +91 9643674469 | Fax: +91 11 23350270
Email: ABhat@tcaabudhabi.ae