The Times of India reports.

Finland is wooing Bollywood producers. Finnish Tourism Board is arranging for familiarisation trips for our film-makers to igloos, Santa country, Lapland, Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun. More importantly, the board plans to facilitate Bollywood units there so that the experience is hassle-free.

Similar initiatives by Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland and Poland have transported these countries to our cinemas and into our homes. Expectedly, the number of Indian visitors to these countries has been steadily going up.

So have shop sales. Great Britain has gone a step further. UK's Bollywood trail invites visitors to retrace their favourite movie sequences. Pan to India. Forget marketing Incredible India as a moviemaker's destination.

Even the few foreign film-makers who come to this country at their own initiative mostly because the film theme or storyline demands an Indian backdrop have had to retreat hastily after hitting roadblocks in the form of red tape, erratic schedules, lack of technical support, and overcharging.

Faced with poor service and non-availability of efficient facilitators, foreign crew tend to turn their sights to less problematic Asian or south-east destinations like Thailand and Korea.

It is quite possible that things have improved since Richard Attenborough made Gandhi here nearly 25 years ago, but clearly not enough to attract more Hollywood film-makers to shoot in India.