It is an emerging global battle between tourism boards to join the saga of Bollywood. Bollywood is the international and most popular definition of the Hindi film sector in India, which is also perhaps one of the largest in the world. Bollywood, which sells a billion more tickets a year than Hollywood, features themes from all over the world.
The Hindi film industry has now brought fans of this popular film culture to experience cooler climes in the Finnish Lapland of Rovaniemi and Poland (Fanaa), Victoria in Australia (Salaam Namaste), Korea (Gangster), Brazil (Dhoom II) , Kandahar and Kabul (Kabul Express), Ras Al Khaimah (Deewane Hue Pagal, 36 China Town) and Malaysia (Don II). The trend that started with “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge in the 90s, licking the borders of the UK and Switzerland, has now transcended its borders across the Atlantic to New York with Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna and Kaal Ho Na Ho.
As Dubai, along with Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Singapore are added as new destinations to Mumbai’s film repertoire, tourism boards around the world, along with Mumbai and India, are clamoring for a slice. of the Indian film industry which is expected to cross a turnover of Rs140 billion, according to a KPMG consultancy report. Kashmir and Kerala have given way to global destinations as more producers head west to film their musical films.
The Indian Ministry of Tourism and the Maharashtra government have also gotten down to business and are seeking to create public or private partnerships to promote Bollywood tourism, especially in the UK, which has already drawn up an anti-tourism strategy to attract Hindi moviegoers.
The British move is to allow Hindi moviegoers to walk the lanes of the now famous British locations of London, Scotland and Yorkshire and relive their favorite Bollywood movie moments. With India’s official airline proposing to add new flights to the London and Europe sector to connect the large Indian expat community, Britain’s Department of Tourism is already betting big on Bollywood through the sale and distribution of an innovative ” Bollywood Map of Britain”. with dozens of dots identifying scenes now seen from Hindi blockbusters, locations such as Blenheim Palace, Waddesden Manor, which is used extensively for the Kabhie Khushie Kabhie Gham (K3G) shots, and many other locations made famous in the movies. Bollywood movies.
In the recent past, Hong Kong saw a 24.7 per cent growth in visitors from India and this has led the tourism board to learn of certain links between film-making between Mumbai and Hong Kong, which it has plans to develop. destinations and tour packages around Bollywood and also marketing Hong Kong’s sprawling production centers to Indian filmmakers. The Singapore Tourism Board launched a “KKrissh” tour package in 2006.
The Swiss Bollywood hit has now come to Finland and the Finnish Tourism Board (FTB) has in the recent past organized programs for merchants of Bollywood dreams to get acquainted with Finland. The FTB proposes to give rental subsidies. Other easy aids and permits for installing cameras and outlets in Finland are being studied. The FTB’s idea is to sell the archipelago’s midnight sun and northern lights and bring it under the arc of Bollywood lights. With a direct flight to Helsinki from India, it’s just a wait-and-see scene with Bollywood fans adding Santa’s land to their holiday destination!
With film festivals and award shows becoming the rage, more and more countries are offering their destinations for Bollywood pre- and post-production, as well as setting aside budgets for award shows and celebrity shows. The Malaysian government had set aside some $2.7 million to host the 2006 Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA), boosting sales of Malaysia as the top destination for Bollywood, already made famous in a host of movies. in hindi
Recently, some private tour operators in Mumbai have understood the need to take advantage of the ‘Bollywood’ bug as part of their Mumbai ‘Darshan’ packages. Such operators charge around US$100 or Rs 3900 per head for a day of guided studio tour with or without lunch packs. The experience brings tourists closer to understanding the nuances and technicalities of running one of India’s largest and most glamorous industries.
The trip includes a film studio or a soap opera shoot in one of the studios. Tourists can watch the actors and technicians create scenes that most fans already know from the actual set, triggering a ja vu appeal.
Sometimes a post-production studio experience is included where tourists learn and see on-site dubbing, sound editing, and some other special effects that are added to movies. As most of the live studios in Mumbai are not open to the general public, individual tour operators are left to work out their contracts with the studios they have a nexus with. The Filmistan studio is one of the most popular studios open to the public.
However, to really thrive in the true Indian film experience, Tollywood or the South Hyderabad based film industry is the place to be. With Mumbai belting out Hindi movies, Telugu, the second most widely spoken language in South India, adds to the glitz and glamor of Tollywood.
With the production of over 150 feature films a year in and around the new emerging IT hub of Hyderabad, Ramoji City, one of the world’s largest film complexes, is well worth a visit. With over 1,600 acres of layered cityscapes, soundstages, warehouses, post-production facilities, hotels, restaurants, the city of Ramoji is modeled after a theme park and has been awarded by the Guinness Book of World Record as a city of full tinsel. Ramoji City is akin to experiencing movie magic and recreated “real time” scenes like at Universal Studios or a Disney or MGM studio in the West. With an entrance fee of 250 rupees or 5 US dollars, it is an experience Mumbai has yet to experience. FINISH