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P.C: Philipp Kämmerer
Whether you are a cinephile or not, these Hollywood movie-inspired destinations in India are certainly worth making up to your travel wishlist. What are movies without its visually alluring backdrops? Put a conventional location into a movie and it turns into a tourist spot all at once! Verdant green meadows, gurgling waterfalls, breathtaking vistas of snow-capped mountains, azure blue oceans - you have lived it all through the life-like virtual visualisations that make you want to pack your bags and travel to the very same place where the scenes were shot.
A tourist's delight and a rhapsody for the soul, India has always taken the filming experience to a whole new level with its vibrant colors, rustic charm, and natural wonders. Sample our list of places that Hollywood has recreated for the travellers in India, by partly or wholly shooting the films and inadvertently spiking tourism among us.
Octopussy, Udaipur
Shot in 1983, this James Bond film series was shot at Udaipur in Rajasthan. Most of the movie was shot at Monsoon Palace, Lake Palace and Jag Mandir. Shiv Niwas Palace was the hotel where James Bond halted. The exotic location of Udaipur added elegance to the movie apart from the action of the movie.
Life of Pi, Munnar
P.C: Shifaaz shamoon
This Oscar winning Ang Lee film, Life of Pi, was shot at several locations, Kerala being one of them. For a fleeting bit, the movie well romanticised the verdant hills of Munnar. Viridescent hills sprawling for over an area as long as the eyes can witness, cloaked in greenery, sure paints a picture for an eyeful in the film. The breathtaking beauty of the picturesque hills ensconcing the town has been captured beautifully in Life of Pi.
Holy Smoke!, Delhi
An Australian movie of 1999, this drama film was majorly shot in Delhi and Pushkar. Paharganj in Delhi was the prime location for the movie. The busy streets of Paharganj added multicoloured effects while stretches of desert catered to the allignment with nature.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Rajasthan
It is a comedy drama of 2012, shot in various parts of Rajasthan. Jaipur and Udaipur were the basic locations of this movie. Various colours of India has been beautifully captured in this movie. Ravla Khempur is the hotel that was the chosen site for the movie. Kishangarh, Amer Fort, Kanota Fort and lake Palace Hotel were other spots for the shooting.
Eat, Pray, Love, Delhi
Originally a memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert, this Hollywood movie got released in 2010. This romantic-comedy drama revolves around a women who travels across Italy, India and Indonesia. She stays in India for three months to attain spirituality. Some of the ashrams in Delhi and Pataudi have been the locations for this movie.
Gandhi
This biographical epic movie was shot in various parts of India. Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate and Rajpath formed the actual locations for Gandhi's funeral. Porabandar, Hyderabad house, Mumbai and Pune were some of the other prime setting for the movie. Patna was chosen for the riot scene while Udaipur was chosen for train scenes.
Monsoon Wedding, Delhi
A 2001 movie directed by Mira Nair, the backdrop is set in New Delhi apart from other corners of the world. As the movie narrates a traditional Punjabi marriage, New Delhi was the ideal destination that could justify the scenario. From the characters to the soundtrack, everything was typically Indian.
The Namesake, Kolkata
P.C: Ravi Singh
A Jhumpa Lahiri book adaptation, directed by Mira Nair, The Namesake throbs with the chaotic calm of the City of Joy, Kolkata. The Tabu and Irrfan Khan starrer, has plenty of scenes and elements in the film incorporating the rustic and rugged local bits. Be it the chaotic back alleys of the city or the serene ride through the Hooghly river, the movie has outstandingly captured the various colourful hues of the city peeking out in all shades and glory.
The Bourne Supremacy, Goa
P.C: Laurentiu Morariu
Can you imagine Matt Damon in a high-speed chase on the laid-back and sleepy trails of Goa? Well, the second of the Bourne series, The Bourne Supremacy, directed by Paul Greengrass, has actually brought this vision into action. Goa has always been a popular choice for a vacationer's refuge with its spectacular beauty and charm of its environs and all the frantic night life of an ocean paradise in India. Goa's exotic beaches flanked by serene surroundings and azure blue water couldn't escape the attention of even Jason Bourne (Matt Damon).
The Dark Knight Rises, Jodhpur
Last of Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy, this movie was shot in various places of the world of which Jodhpur in Rajasthan was one of the prime locations. Mehrangarh Fort was the chosen backdrop in Jodhpur. The exterior scenes of the underground prison was also shot in Jodhpur.
Trishna, Mumbai and Jaipur
A British drama of 2011, this Hollywood movie was basically shot in Jaipur and Mumbai. Inspired by Thomas Hardy's novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles", the movie was set in contemporary Rajasthan. The casting and the location has wonderfully displayed the conditions of society of modern India. Trishna, the lead character, symbolises the restrictions and problems faced by any ordinary woman in India.
Slumdog Millionaire, Mumbai
An amazing representation of Juhu slums in Mumbai, the movie was highly acclaimed British drama film of 2008. The cast of the movie mainly comprised of Indians and was highly noted for winning 8 Academy Awards. The riot scenes and the upbringing of children around the shanty towns of Mumbai was wonderfully picturised.
Zero Dark Thirty, Chandigarh
This 2012 war film was partially shot at PEC University of Technology in Chandigarh. As the movie was based on the search for Osama bin Laden, certain places in Chandigarh was designed as Lahore and Abbottabad in Pakistan. Mani Majra, a small town of Chandigarh also aquired an important place in the movie.
The Myth, Hampi
This 2005 Hollywood movie is a mixture of adventure, fantasy and martial arts. The movie was shot at various places in Hampi apart from other foreign locations. Kalaripayattu is the martial arts shown in the movie. It is widely practiced in Calicut of Kerala. Even the performers were from Kalari School based in Nadakkavu. Virupaksha Temple of Hampi was one of the major backdrop for the movie.
Singularity, Madhya Pradesh
This romance cum adventure film depicted the British India of 18th century. The hilly terrains of Orchha, Chambal and Gwalior was chosen as the setting for the movie. These idyllic places in Madhya Pradesh were striking as represented through the movie.
The Darjeeling Limited, Jodhpur
P.C: Digjot Singh
The Wes Anderson comedy-drama film about the spiritual-self discovery of the three brothers who reconnect and reunite on a train to Darjeeling, has traversed and captured many a landscape across the country and a major part in Jodhpur. From the glorious sand dunes to the elaborately decked up luxe coupes of the Indian Railways, the film ingeniously catches the colourful, exotic and mystic town of Jodhpur featuring snakes, street markets and everything Indian.
Bride and Prejudice, Amritsar
A romantic movie of 2004, this Hollywood film has its location in Amritsar, Punjab. Golden Temple of Amritsar was an important locale of the movie. Mumbai and some beaches of Goa was also used as as the backdrop for certain scenes. The movie opens with the scene in Amritsar.
Mission Impossible (Ghost Protocol), Bangalore
This action movie of 2011 had its climax scene shot in India. Sun Network office in Bangalore was the location for this scene. Certain posters of South Indian movies were also displayed at the backdrop of this scene.
A Mighty Heart, Pune
P.C: Fancycrave
It would be a sacrilege to not talk about A Mighty Heart's beautifully captured scenes of Pune. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, the film had its fair share of criticism for shining a light on the mischances of the Wall Street Journal journalist- Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and killing by the Islamic extremists group, Al Qaida. His widow, Mariane Pearl's book was then adapted into a movie starring Angelina Jolie.
Although the plot and the circumstances in the movie called for shooting locations in Karachi but due to some permission and safety issues the director had to pass off the bustling lanes of Pune as Karachi. Touted as one of the most idyllic cities of the state Maharashtra, Pune is a mishmash of modernity and culture flanked with picturesque vistas, verdant sprawling gardens and favourable climate.
