Guwahati: Subhash Ghai, Bollywood producer and founder chairman of Whistling Woods International, a top-ranking institute of film, communications and creative arts in Mumbai, is planning to set up a film institute-cum-studio in Assam.

Ghai was in the city to participate in the Advantage Assam summit at the invitation of Assam chief minister Sarbanada Sonowal, who visited Mumbai last month to invite people from Bollywood.

Sonowal is the first chief minister of the state to invite people from Bollywood to lend their experience and expertise to develop film education in the state.

Ghai said, "I am here for the Advantage Assam summit because the chief minister came to Mumbai and invited us to help his government develop film studies. Although there are many universities here, there is no institute of creative arts. It is important to have media studies for children. Media is an industry in itself. There should be television and film production houses. The government should think long term. You have to start from regional films and go up to the international level."

"We are in talks with the government to start a film school-cum-studio here. We are going to bring the philosophy of Whistling Woods to film education here. The institute will be of international standards. Film is about storytelling and we want innovative storytellers," Ghai said.

The filmmaker was accompanied by Chaitanya Chinchlikar, the vice-president of business development at Whistling Woods.