With Foreign Locales Out of Bounds, It's Ghar Wapsi Now

Ukraine, Afghanistan and Israel were at one time favourite locations for Bollywood shoots, but these have turned into war zones, putting them out of the
reckoning; and Canada is also a no-go area now due to apprehensions
over the Khalistan issue.

Industry wallahs are therefore increasingly looking inwards at India. It’s the safest bet for stress-free film shoots in the current scenario.

India also offers a lot of facilities, says filmmaker Ashoke Pandit. “A lot of subsidies are given by state governments. So, given the unfavourable situations
in many countries and the fact that India offers a hasslefree movie-making experience, our industry is preferring to shoot at home,” he adds.

Places like Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have become the new hotspots for
film shoots. “They are among the most happening destinations for us,” says Pandit, who himself hails from J & K.

Kashmir, often described as the ‘Switzerland of India’ and once a hotbed of terrorism, has been witnessing a steady increase in film shoots, as the security situation has improved considerably. The J & K government is going
all out to woo the film industry too.

The film maker also cites another reason for India being the best film destination.
“Our VFX capabilities are among the best in the world and so are our technicians,” says Pandit.

When it comes to Tollywood too, many filmmakers have of late been scouting for good locations within the country.

“Foreign shoots have indeed faced challenges in recent years, due to war and terrorism in those countries; it has undoubtedly had an impact on Bollywood,” says film producer Abhishek Nama. He agrees with Pandit that places like Kashmir, have become much safer.

“Perhaps it is time for the industry to prioritize shooting in India over foreign destinations, considering the favourable atmosphere and picturesque locations the country has to offer,” the producer says.

SS Rajamouli chose to shoot his super hit song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from RRR in Ukraine, much before Russian forces invaded the country. The song was shot
with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s residence as the backdrop. During the shoot, Tollywood superstar Ram Charan had described Ukraine as “the most beautiful place.”

Other block busters like Baahubali, KGF Chapter I and 2 and Vikram Vedha were also shot at different locations in that country.

BOLLYWOOD’S STRONG ASSOCIATION WITH ISRAEL

The Israelis are fond of Indian movies. In fact, in December 2017, the Israel
Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted producers from five major Mumbai production companies to foster cooperation between the two countries in
cinema.

Back in 2018, Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandes and the late Sushant Singh Rajput went to Israel to shoot for their movie Drive along with an 80-member crew. “We choose Israel because there’s parties, beach life, there’s so much to do here,” Jacqueline had said then. And Sushant had posted pictures of Tel Aviv on his Instagram and Twitter accounts, saying he would be coming back
to the country for a private visit with friends.

Their film, an Indian spin on Fast and the Furious, was partly funded by a number of Israeli government departments, including the Tourism Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office.

Israel’s leaders had hoped it would be a priceless advertising campaign to woo millions of Indian tourists to Israel.

In 2018, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, along with Ayan Mukherjee and his crew were in Tel Aviv to shoot parts of their movie Brahmastra. Similarly, Afghanistan was once a very popular shooting location, but once the Taliban took over in 2021, the Indian film industry struck the country from its visiting list. The last movie to be shot there was Saif Ali Khan’s Agent Vinod.

BIG B CRAZE

According to reports, Amitabh Bachchan is an overwhelming favourite in Israel. The movie Sholay is aired several times every year, by almost all the TV channels there and DVDs of the Big B’s movies are freely available.

There are 50,000 or more jews of Indian origin in Israel, and they are among the biggest fans of Bollywood movies and music. At their annual congregation (Hodu Yada), youngsters sing evergreen Bollywood songs and dancing to them too.
Hindi films shown by different TV channels in Gaza attract large audiences, and can actually bring all activities to a halt on Fridays and Saturdays (if they
feature Amitabh Bachchan).

Some of the most densely populated refugee camps too come to a standstill on the weekends during the screening of Hindi films.