"But it is the economic option we want to highlight," emphasised Ranner. "Shooting costs in Germany are roughly equivalent, and in some instances cheaper, than in say, Switzerland. This is mainly because we have a well-developed film industry already existing."

Another plus point is that the transport system is uber efficient: "So cart-loading crew and equipment across locations is not a problem. We have a strong rail network. In some cases, travelling by train is faster than taking a flight to the same place. The motorways are also most superior in Europe."

From the way Ranner is hard-selling Germany, it wouldn’t be long before the Govindas, Hritik Roshans and Kareena Kapoors of Hindi cinema would be declaring their love in one of the fairy tale castles of the crazy King Ludwig!

The recent success of five low-budget Hindi films has suddenly brought about a change in attitude of Bollywood producers. Small is now fashionable with Raaz, Yeh Dil Ashiqana, Style, Monsoon Wedding and Chandni Bar still running to packed houses.

Made on minimal budget ranging from Rs 35 to Rs 50 million, these five films have effectively destroyed the myth that only big-budget blockbusters like Lagaan (Rs 260 million) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (Rs 450 million) can survive in the box office.

Said N. Chandra, who switched from the extravagantly made Tezaab and Narasimha to a lowkey Style: "In these times of recession, investments on big-budget films with top stars and mammoth sets are difficult to recover. Many producers are therefore playing it safe and turning their sights to small-budget ventures."

Among them are veteran filmmakers and production houses like Umesh Mehra (Yeh Mohabbat Hai), Rajan Johri (Ansh), Hanslal Mehta (Chhal), KPSati (Ek Alag Mausam), Chrakravarthy (Durga), Sangeet Sivan (Sandhya) and Karma Network (Haasil and India Phir Bhi No 1).

It is not as though their films are completely bereft of star value. For instance, Jackie Shroff and Raveena Tandon are sharing the leads in Sandhya while Anupam Kher, Nandita Das and Renuka Shahane are in Ek Alag Mausam and Tara Deshpande and Milind Soman are starring in India Phir Bhi No 1.

"There is great scope for experimenting with small-budget films," Mahesh Bhatt pointed out. "Moreover, the market for music and satellite television rights is not as lucrative as it might seem. People are no longer willing to shell out huge sums for movie rights."

Added Taran Adarsh, a trade analyst: "Today, it is not the number of weeks a film runs but the returns that are important. Nobody is looking at jubilee runs, but at how soon it brings in the money. Small-budget movies are clearly their best bet!"