Prosenjit dressed as Lalan Fakir and (right) the peace park that was part of the set. Telegraph pictures

Alipurduar, Dec. 28: A set for a film is now evolving into an eco-tourism hotspot.

The tree houses and thatched roofs — created by Bollywood ace art director Samir Chanda — in Chilapata is like any eco-centre dotting the Dooars forests. Except, this time, there will be no dismantling. The Moner Manush set is here to stay, only that the structures will be made more permanent for tourists, said Raj Basu of Help Tourism that will develop the spot.

If they want to stay for the night, tourists can put up at the nearby Chilapata lodge.

“It will be a day-visit centre. People can come, boat on the Bania, spend the day and go back if they want to,” said Basu, adding that when the shooting was going on, he got the idea to preserve the space — it looked so idyllic.

“When a film is shot, the place becomes famous. On top of that, we did not have to plan anything. We got a ready plan, a set. We will only make it permanent,” said Basu. He said a park and a museum would be part of the project.

In Hollywood producers like Universal Studios and Warner Brothers preserve sets of famous movies for tourists. In England, Alnswik Castle in Northumberland has become popular to visitors with parts of the Harry Potter series being shot there.

Back home, Ramanagaram, Karnataka, outside Bangalore is another film-set related tourist destination, made popular by the shooting of Sholay. In the Moner Manush set, the park will be named after Lalan Fakir, the mystic minstrel. The film starring Prosenjit and Paoli Dam is on his life. It is based on a novel by Sunil Gangopadhyay by the same name. Goutam Ghose is the director of the film.

The shoot began on December 12 beside the Bania river that comes down from the hills and ended yesterday.

On a cold December morning, Ghose had made Paoli take a dip in the Bania and traipse along a cobbled forest track with a pitcher full of water resting on her hips. Paoli plays the role of Kamli, a widow who takes shelter in Lalan’s akhra. The akhra, created with bamboo and straw, depict a typical baul abode where Lalan and his Sufi followers delve deep into mysticism.

On Friday, Prosenjit inaugurated the project. Basu said he and his organisation had been working throughout north Bengal for the generation of livelihood of forest fringe dwellers. “This set was so well-made that it would have been a shame to dismantle it. So we approached the personalities from Tollywood and they have agreed to help,” Basu said at the ceremony. He said the most important aspect of the project was that the local villagers would generate income by being linked to the eco-tourism centre.

Basu also said a folk museum would be set up at the place that will be run and maintained by villagers. “Our aim is to revive the folk art and culture in children’s education and the songs of Lalon dwell on nature and its wonders. Tollywood personalities will also help popularise the spot as a tourist destination with a difference,” Basu said.

Prosenjit said he was in Chilapata for almost 15 days. “I have shot in the hilly terrains of north Bengal earlier, but this is the first time that we shot deep inside the forest. I even saw a herd of wild elephants cross in front of my car one night around 10 while we were returning to the resort where we had put up. I really liked the people who gave me small gifts. The concept of the eco-tourism centre is unique and I and Goutamda (director Goutam Ghose) will extend all our help,” the actor said.

Prosenjit has promised to be there during the inauguration of the centre.

The shooting of the film has also had a mark on the people of Chilapata. “The event generated a lot of income for us as people came to see the activity from far and wide. I ran a bicycle parking stand and I earned about a thousand rupees a day,” said Nimai Rava of Bania Basti. He said others had set up stalls selling tea and pakoras and they, too, also made money during the shooting. “If two or three such film shooting takes place in the area in a year, we will be immensely benefited,” he said.