Gangtok, Feb. 8: The south Indian film industry has finally responded to Sikkim?s call.

After a host of Nepali and Bengali films and documentaries, it is now the turn of a south Indian film to be shot in the beautiful locales of Sikkim.

The mahurrat of Lemon, a bilingual commercial film to be produced in Tamil and Telugu, was held at the Sai mandir complex at Baluakhani near here this morning in the presence of Sikkim Governor V. Rama Rao.

The Governor, accompanied by state tourism minister R.B. Subba and the commissioner cum secretary of tourism A.K. Srivastav, had organised a road show in Hyderabad in June last year where they hard-sold Sikkim as an ideal location for film shoots. A large number of film personalities from south India, including directors and producers, had attended the show and interacted with Sikkim officials.

A group of producers later came to Sikkim on a recce. The group included M.K. Sai Mohan, the director of Lemon.

The film, which is based on the theme of terrorism and counter-terrorism, will be shot extensively in Sikkim. There will be four days of shooting in Gangtok before the crew moves to Lachung, Yumthang and the lakes in North Sikkim, where 50 per cent of the film will be shot.

Sai Mohan said his crew will shoot in Sikkim for 20 days with the aim of releasing the movie in mid-April. ?We are aware that Sikkim has many beautiful locales and had no second thoughts about coming here. The beauty of the place and the landscape will be captured and projected in the movie?, he said.

The film will feature actors from Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore including well-known film stars from the south like Ishaaq, Sai Kiran and Chaya Singh.

Sai Mohan also said his team had received extraordinary cooperation from the Sikkim government, the Governor and various state government departments once they decided to shoot the film here.

?Personally once I go back, I will ask other film producers to come and shoot in Sikkim?, Sai Mohan promised.