Bollywood Tourism
It’s an emerging global battle between tourism boards to join the Bollywood saga. Bollywood is the most popular and international definition of the Hindi film industry 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 around the world.
The Hindi film industry has now taken fans of this popular film culture to experience cooler climates in Rovaniemi Finnish Lapland 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 shoot their musical movies.
The Ministry of Tourism of India and the government of Maharashtra have also gotten down to business and are looking to create public or private partnerships to promote Bollywood tourism, especially in the UK, which has already developed a counter-tourism strategy to attract to Hindi movie fans.
The British move is to allow Hindi moviegoers to walk the lanes of now famous British locations in 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 European sector to appeal to 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 Great Britain’. with dozens of dots identifying now-seen scenes from Hindi blockbusters, locations such as Blenheim Palace, Waddesden Manor which are widely used for shots of Kabhie Khushie Kabhie Gham (K3G) and many other locations made famous in the Bollywood movies.
In the recent past, Hong Kong recorded a 24.7 per cent growth in visitors from India and this has prompted the tourism board to learn of certain film-making links between Mumbai and Hong Kong, which it has plans to develop. destinations and tour packages revolving around Bollywood and also marketing Hong Kong’s sprawling production hubs to Indian filmmakers. The Singapore Tourism Board launched a “KKrissh” tour package in 2006.
The Swiss Bollywood hit has now made its way to Finland and the Finnish Tourist Board (FTB) has in the recent past organized programs for Bollywood dream dealers to get acquainted with Finland. The FTB proposes to give rental subsidies. Other easy aids and permits to install cameras and shots in Finland are being studied. The idea of the FTB is to sell the midnight sun and the northern lights of the archipelago and bring it under the arch of Bollywood lights. With a direct flight to Helsinki from India, it’s just a wait and watch scene with Bollywood fans adding Santa Claus land to their holiday destination!
With film festivals and award ceremonies on the rise, more and more countries are offering their destination points for Bollywood pre- and post-production, and also setting aside budgets for award ceremonies and celebrity shows. The Malaysian government had set aside some $2.7 million to host the 2006 Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA), which boosted sales of Malaysia as a top destination for Bollywood, which has already made a name for itself in a large number of films. 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 movie studio or a soap opera shoot at one of the studios. Tourists can watch the actors and crew create scenes most fans are already familiar with on the actual set, sparking de ja vu appeal.
Sometimes a post-production studio experience is included where tourists learn about and see on-site dubbing, sound editing, and some other special effects that are added to the films. 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 on the true Indian film experience, Tollywood or South Hyderabad based film industry is the place to be. With Mumbai belting out Hindi movies, Telegu, the second most widely spoken language in South India, adds to the glitz and glamor of Tollywood.
With more than 150 feature films being produced annually in and around the emerging new IT hub of Hyderabad, Ramoji City, one of the largest cinema complexes in the world, is well worth a visit. With more than 1,600 acres of layered streetscapes, sound stages, warehouses, post-production facilities, hotels, restaurants, Ramoji City is modeled after a theme park and has been awarded by the Guinness Book of World Records as a city of full tinsel. Ramoji City is akin to experiencing movie magic and recreated “real time” scenes just like at Universal Studios or a Disney or MGM studio in the West. With an entrance fee of Rs 250 or US$5, it’s an experience Mumbai has yet to live. END