| |
Bollywood embraces foreign
backdrops
By Ranjita Biswas
In the 1960s, the Raj
Kapoor-Vyjayantimala-Rajendra Kumar romantic tearjerker
Sangam had an extra punch to make it a hit. Raj
Kapoor shot extensively in stunning Switzerland. An
Evening in  Paris followed. While a bikini-clad
Sharmila Tagore wowed a staid audience, the film also
opened a vista of the alluring West, novel indeed for an
audience reared on films set in the Kashmir Valley and
Ooty hills.
Those were the days when foreign
travel was a dream for most. There's been a sea-change
since then. Even middle-class Indians think nothing of
planning foreign holidays. But one thing hasn't changed.
Bollywood's obsession with exotic locales abroad for its
song sequences - be it Mykonos Island (Chalte
Chalte), New Zealand (Kaho Na Pyar Hai) or
superhit Dil Chahta Hai (Australia). In fact, the
trend has increased, especially after Kashmir posed a
security problem.
Meanwhile, a new wind is
blowing in foreign lands, too. Ever since the potential
of Bollywood and its mega-spending producers dawned on
the tourism departments of these countries, they have
been wooing the Indian film industry with extra
facilities and freebies. It's a win-win situation after
all. First, revenues from the film crew itself, and
second, the grabbing of attention of an increasingly
affluent middle class willing to travel to new
destinations.
As the film-crazy Indian tourists
go abroad they also like to visit the "spots" a la a
particular movie. It's a universal tendency to want to
experience a slice of life of the rich and famous, even
if second hand. Apparently, Japanese tourists crowd to a
particular travel bookshop in London's Notting Hill (the
Hugh Grant-Julia Roberts eponymous film of the same name
as the district catapulted the place to fame). So why
shouldn't Indian tourists flock to Sydney where Aamir
Khan and Preity Zinta romped around in Dil Chahta
Hai.
Naturally, Indian filmmakers are
receiving red-carpet treatment while shooting. Take
Australia, for example. More than 60 projects from India
have been shot there in the past four years, consisting
of films, TV commercials and serials. Besides Dil
Chahta Hai, Soldier and Road, were
shot there. The advantage? It's said, whatever a script
demands, Australia has a location. Besides, Indian
producers can utilize the excellent post-production
facilities and at a cost less than the US and Europe.
Even major Hollywood productions are shifting to
Australia. High profile Hollywood films like The
Matrix, Moulin Rogue and Romeo &
Juliet were shot there. The Australian Trade
Commission (Austrade) assists Indian producers and
introduces them to Australian production houses who
specialize in handling Indian film crews. It has an
office in Mumbai too.
Neighboring New Zealand
has ridden the crest of popularity ever since Hrithik
Roshan's superhit launching pad Kaho Na Pyar Hai
eulogized the land's virgin beauty. Besides Bollywood, a
sizeable chunk of Telegu hit films have been shot in New
Zealand. However, the facilities here are offered by
individual companies and not the tourism department.
Internationally, New Zealand became famous as the
location for the The Lord of the Rings trilogy
based on J R R Tolkien's fantasy novel which cost more
than US$130 million.
With all these new locales
coming up, what about old favorite Switzerland? Perhaps
Indian audiences have became blase about the Bernese
Oberland (Zweisimmen, Gstaad) and the Gruyere area?
Local agencies must have noticed it too for they are
pulling up their socks to bring back their loyalists.
Admits Cyril Jost of Film Location Switzerland
(FLS), "We've to compete with other countries which are
also popular amongst Indian filmmakers. But now, one of
our main goals is to offer new opportunities so that
Indian filmmakers don't get the impression they're
always being served the same locations."
For
this, Jost says, FLS has been in touch with local
authorities, in particular in the mountainous region of
Valais and the gorgeous Ticino (Italian-speaking
Switzerland), where few Indian movies have been made so
far. Rajiv Rai shot his latest film Asambhav in
Locarno (Ticino area). "This was a first and Indian
audiences will discover a part of Switzerland they
perhaps didn't know before, with palm trees and an
almost Mediterranean climate, alongside snow-covered
mountains," Jost promises.
The one-year-old FLS,
an independent organization sponsored by the Swiss
government, has even brought out a production guide for
Indian film crews. It's separate from Switzerland
Tourism (ST) but from now on, FLS and ST will work
together to promote the country as an attractive
location.
Bollywood is getting more
international attention by the day. Britain's tourism
department makes no bones about enticing Bollywood
producers with facilities and emphasizing the advantage
of language and familiarity born out of the presence of
a sizeable number of Indian-origin Britishers. The
latest to join the bandwagon is Italy, according to
trade buzz. And soon there may be Indo-Italian joint
productions.
Producers go on scouting for newer
locations to slake the insatiable appetite of Indian
audiences. But for shoots abroad, there has to be a home
connection too. Mumbai's Jitendra "Chacha" Chauhan has
"done" more than 25 films in four years. Among them,
Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon, Yaadein and
Om Jai Jagadish were shot in New Zealand, now
Aitbaar in Canada, Hungama in Malaysia,
Filhaal in South Africa.
Giving a lowdown
on how it works, he says, "Normally, filmmakers want to
go abroad to shoot songs. They may want a snow mountain
but don't want to go to Switzerland - so there are other
options, like Austria or New Zealand. Being in the
southern hemisphere, the latter is open from October to
March when Europe closes for winter, a reason why it's
becoming increasingly popular. It is also cheaper to
shoot."
Moreover, in Bollywood nothing succeeds
like success and a location becomes popular on the
"lucky" tag. The stupendous success of Kaho Na
made producers flock to New Zealand hoping to hit the
jackpot. "Superstition plays an important part in
Bollywood. Some people feel that if they shoot in a
particular place their film will flop," confides
Chauhan.
The cost factor, of course, is a major
consideration. For example, Canada is a good place to
shoot but the costs are too high, as also are visa
charges. What a producer looks for, says Chauhan, are,
a) Accessibility b) Cost c) Legal formalities d)
Incentives. Incentives may include freebies for the lead
actors, waiving of taxes, subsidies on hotel rooms, etc.
Chauhan points out that people avoid shooting in the US
not only for the cost but also due to too many legal
formalities.
A myth, according to Chauhan, is
that it's cheaper to shoot at home. "When you go to
Kashmir or Manali to shoot, you take 100 people with
you, but when you go abroad you take about 40. Besides,
hotels are cheaper compared to overpriced Indian hotels.
A five-star hotel room in India costs the filmmaker Rs
6,000 [US$132] but a very good four-star abroad costs
about Rs 4,000 or so." Besides, days are longer there.
"April to September in Switzerland or October to March
in New Zealand is perfect for shoots as you get more
than 12 hours of shooting light." Actors, too, prefer
locales abroad as they can work without the usual
distractions, plus they can enjoy a holiday with family.
It's also cost effective as actors work longer hours.
Meanwhile, this foreign interest has also
sprouted a niche business area, that of bringing
together the film industry and foreign agencies. Tarun
Hukku of Novell Event Works, Bangalore, calls it a
"mutually beneficial alliance". Given the potential,
tourism departments have started lobbying to be the
destination of choice.
They approach such
companies to lobby with the filmmakers. Revenue comes
from the tourism departments. But Hukku cautions that
this industry is at a nascent stage and has a long way
to go. Currently, discussions are under way to make it a
more structured industry and go beyond the lackadaisical
way it's operating now. One good thing, Hukku adds, is
that compared to the past, there's more professionalism
among the new breed of directors. "They know that
last-minute script writing or simple things like
unpunctuality will not do."
On the other hand,
Hukku warns that the novelty of over-exploited places
may wane over time for the newly affluent movie-goer.
So, what professionals like Hukku are now trying to do
is to convince filmmakers to produce scripts based on
the speciality of a certain location. For example,
something revolving around the Dubai film festival or
the Mardi Gras. This makes good sense from the tourism
point of view and will not come across as stale or
irrelevant to the basic script for audiences.
(With input from correspondents in Auckland,
Mumbai, Switzerland and Bangalore.)
(Trans World
Features)
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
