Has a single vacation in the country ever been complete without that filled-with-pride moment? “ Madam, idhar Bollywood star log aaya tha. XYZ ki shooting idhar hi hui thi! (Bollywood stars were here, madam. XYZ film was shot right here),” offers some guide/taxi driver/enthusiastic local without fail. So tremendous is this filmi connect with travel that the most reputed travel information provider globally, Lonely Planet, has launched a never-before guide in India — inspired by Indian cinema. Besides offering specialist information on hotels, transport, food and sightseeing, Filmi Escapes – Travel with the Movies is accompanied by interesting film anecdotes, trivia and images.
Freelance writer Juhi Saklani, (who has been a travel writer for approximately eight years), has been assisted by the Lonely Planet team on this project. A travel enthusiast who keeps returning to Ladakh, Juhi says that the structure of the book and the choice of giving prominence to one place compared to another was planned in the details, and was yet quite spontaneous. “Since this was a first-of-its-kind experiment, we chose to stick to places that were by and large well-known destinations. We followed a simple north to south pattern in the chapterisation. The film/period choices were, I’m sure, dictated in equal part by my personal preferences as a life-long lover of films (so, the songs of Garam Hawa had to make an appearance). Plus, there was the need to include some films that, by popular consensus, had reached an iconic status ( Mughal-e-Azam ), and to keep a healthy share of Shah Rukh or Aamir to appeal to the audience/traveller. Also, there was simply the fact that, when you have generally fixed a destination, films choose themselves. For example, a chapter on Ladakh would automatically mean we discuss 3 Idiots .”
The guide is replete with interesting facts.
Apart from being a fun and frolic destination, it is in Goa that Shyam Benegal’s Trikal was shot — in fact, it was in cartoonist Mario Miranda’s ancestral home in Loutolim, with its ‘rich red walls, fading portraits, luscious wooden chairs and elegant long candles’.
And the famous Howrah Bridge was not really picturised in Amar Prem for the song ‘Chingari Koi Bhadke…’ That was shot in Natraj Studio in Mumbai, as Sharmila Tagore would complain of the stink in the stagnant water. And to make it clear to all and sundry, a signboard on the Hymia Bridge en route from Leh to Tso Moriri reads “3 Idiots shooting point. All is well!” Needless to add, an on-road sequence was shot here for the film.
Sesh Seshadri, director, Lonely Planet India, says that this indigenous concept was guided by data that was thrown up in various researches done previously.
“As per our research, 60 per cent of Indian travellers are influenced by Indian cinema. The concept of this travel guide was especially dear, considering this is the 100th year of cinema. It is a first-ever endeavour for the company,” he says.
In line with their concept of specialised guides, Lonely Planet India is publishing its guide to the temples of South India by mid-2014 and Sesh assures, “It’s going to be a big-ticket project.”
