Akshay Kumar Meets Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami to Discuss Film Policy

Akshay Kumar met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the CM’s official residence in Dehradun on Saturday, October 18, to discuss the state’s film policy and ways to attract more film productions to the hill state.

During the meeting, the two discussed how Uttarakhand’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and investor-friendly policies make it an attractive destination for filmmakers, and the employment opportunities such productions create for local youth. The interaction signals the state government’s continued push to position Uttarakhand as a film-friendly destination.

The meeting comes while Akshay is already shooting in the state. The actor is currently in Mussoorie and Landour filming an Anees Bazmee-directed comedy song alongside Raashii Khanna — the pair’s first on-screen collaboration. Photos shared by the state’s Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) Uttarakhand show the two strolling through a local market and Akshay riding a bike across a bridge, drawing considerable local attention.

Uttarakhand has been actively courting the film industry under its Film Policy 2024, which offers single-window clearance for shoots with permissions processed within seven days. The policy has begun showing results: several high-profile productions have chosen the state in recent months, with Janhvi Kapoor also currently shooting in Nainital.

For filmmakers, the appeal is obvious — the state’s mountain landscapes, colonial-era hill towns and rivers provide ready-made backdrops at a fraction of international shooting costs, while the single-window system removes much of the bureaucratic friction that once made location shoots unpredictable. The chief minister’s office has framed film tourism as part of a broader push to generate jobs and visibility for the state’s youth.

The optics of the meeting are exactly what the state government wants ahead of the winter shooting season, when production activity in the hills typically peaks. Whether the conversation translates into fresh investment commitments remains to be seen, but film tourism has clearly become a pillar of the state’s economic outreach.

Sources: LatestLY; Indian Economic Observer.