Remember the picturesque ‘Moongil Kaadugale' song from ‘Samurai' that captured nature in all its woodsy splendour or the vintage interiors of a regal palace in ‘Snehidhane' from ‘Alaipaayudhe'? If you think, they look too beautiful to be shooting spots in India, it is time to get the facts right.
The stunning backdrops of the songs are Hogenakkal falls in Dharmapuri, and Maheshwar Temple, Madhya Pradesh respectively. The waterfalls at Dharmapuri shot to fame with three other songs: the evergreen ‘Chinna Chinna Asai' from ‘Roja,' melodic ‘Mazhaiye Mazhaiye' from ‘Rhythm' and ‘Raath Ka Nasha Abhi' from ‘Asoka.'
For a host of reasons — the main being frugality — the fascination for exotic locations among Tamil filmmakers is waning. Just as the film industry thought Indian locations are passé, directors such as Mani Ratnam took the industry by storm by wielding the megaphone in never-shot-before places.
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A case in point is ‘Raavanan,' which earned its pre-release popularity mainly with its impressive trailers showcasing steep hills and spiralling waterfalls. The awe factor of the film was Santosh Sivan's camera that captured some of the pristine locations in Kerala which hitherto had missed the attention of other filmmakers.
“It is not often that we come across such interesting locations. Usually, it is the production managers on whom filmmakers depend for getting comprehensive detail about popular locations in the country,” explains Manickam Narayanan of Seventh Channel, a production house. Some scenic locations in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan can be mistaken for foreign locations, he adds. For someone who single-handedly scouts for locations, Mr. Narayanan feels there are more such untouched locations in the country.
“For budget films, shooting in India is a smart move. Overseas shooting can sometimes be more expensive than we think. Places such as Europe have made public liability insurance for film shooting mandatory. These little expenses can pinch a producer hard,” he adds.
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In Tamil Nadu, Karaikudi, Madurai, Theni, Tirunelveli, Pollachi, Gobichettipalayam and Ooty are some of the most sought-after locations. While economy is one of the factors, another reason film-makers flock to the same location in the country is because they are perceived as good-luck charm for the movies.
“Many directors want at least one scene shot in locations that are believed to be part of blockbusters. Karaikudi is one such place,” says K.T. Kumaresan, a production manager at Karaikudi. Listing out the names of the films shot there, he said directors such as Shankar, Priyadarshan, Mani Ratnam, Hari and Rajeev Menon have made Karaikudi an integral part of their projects. The place became an instant hit after Rajkiran-starrer ‘Aranmanai Kili.' Aathangudi palace, Rao Bahadur palace and nearly 50 other palatial houses are occupied on most days by film crew.
Logistics are also a key consideration when it comes to choosing locations within India. Though shooting overseas now comes as a package with rented cameras and other equipment, places in India hold a sentimental charm for many directors, sources from film industry say.
Some of the popular locations are Bekal Fort, Kerala, (Uyire Uyire from Bombay), Athirappilly Falls, Kerala, (Oru Deivam Thandha Poove from Kannathil Muthamittal and Narumugaiye Narumugaiye from Iruvar), Kalyani Theertham, Tirunelveli, (Azhagaana Raakshasiye from Mudhalvan), Chennakesava Temple, Karnataka, (Sundari Kannaal from Thalapathi) and the Fern Hill palace, Ooty, which has over dozens of movies to its credit.