Shah Rukh Khan in Ra.One. Would the Prayag Film City brand ambassador have danced to Chammak challo in Chandrakona?

Bengal brand ambassador and KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan will throw open the doors of a Rs 1,000-crore film city in West Midnapore on April 15.

Built on 2,700 acres, Prayag Film City at Chandrakona, a 90-minute drive from the city, is set to become the largest in the world when fully operational next year. Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad is currently the largest, at 1,666 acres.

King Khan is the film city’s brand ambassador and will inaugurate its first phase.

“Shah Rukh is very passionate about films and since he is already the brand ambassador of the state, he is also the perfect face for our project,” said Avik Bagchi, the managing director of the Prayag Group, which has interests in infrastructure, hospitality and film production.

The foundation of the project had been laid by actor Om Puri in 2009. Pitched as an “integrated film city complex and a one-stop entertainment destination”, Prayag Film City will comprise three mega-sized zones.

The film zone will house movie sets and landscapes for shooting, facilities for pre- and post-production and a movie museum; the entertainment zone will have an amusement park with 50 rides and two 5D theatres; the hospitality zone will boast 3-star hotels, 5-star resorts, food courts and nightclubs. There will also be a zone that replicates 110 wonders of the world, a first for any film city in the world, a source said.

The project has been designed by art director Nitish Roy, the man behind Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad and Purple Movie Town, a film city on the southern fringes of Calcutta.

Bagchi said Chandrakona was the ideal location for the project, given its “central location”. “We are sure a lot of Odiya and Bhojpuri films will be shot here.”

He also hoped that the film city would be used by Tollywood film crews. “Bengali cinema is touching new heights but our studios are in deplorable condition. We believe many local film crews will make Prayag Film City their destination,” he added.