By Anuradha Punyani
We all love action-packed Hollywood movies and the sassy dialogues. But do you know many of the blockbuster movies are shot in India? Surprised? Well, in this article, we are going to list eight such movies that have been shot at Indian locations (or maybe some parts of them). Stay tuned to read more.
The Dark Knight: Rises
The sequel of Dark knight, The dark knight: Rises, was released in 2012 by Christopher Nolan after seeing the worldwide popularity of The Dark Knight movie and Batman. Eight years after Joker, Bane disturbed the natural balance of the city, forcing Batman to come out of his hiding. However, one of the essential parts that you might not be aware of is that some particular scenes of Batman were shot in India in Chand Bari stepwell, Abhinari, Jodhpur. The particular scene was the escape of Batman from the prison. Director Christopher Nolan told the media that it was India’s beauty that attracted him to shoot some parts of The Dark Knight: Rises, in India. The movie has been shot in several parts and at several locations apart from Jodhpur.
Tenet
After shooting some of the scenes in The dark knight: Rises, Christopher Nolan decided to shoot some of the stages of the movie Tenet in India. However, the film was shooted in many countries, including the US, UK, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Norway, and India. The main reason why Nolan decided to shoot some scenes in India is because of the beauty of Mumbai. Here’s what Director Christopher Nolan told the media:
“Every time I visit India, I am struck by how unbelievably visual the place is. I had shot a short sequence in Jodhpur for ‘The Dark Knight Rises, and I always wanted to go back and film an important segment. ‘Tenet’ gave me the opportunity to do that.”
The shooting was done mainly in places like Gateway of India, grant road, Royal Bombay, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Colaba causeway, and Colaba market.
Mission Impossible 4
Brad Bird’s directed movie, Mission Impossible 4- Ghost Protocol, showcases Ethan and his team on a mission to find the real culprit behind bombing the kremlin. The blockbuster film got many likes, but, are you aware that most of the second half of the movie was shot in India, including the car chase? Most of the action-packed scenes from the second half were shot in Mumbai. The film also included Anil Kapoor, an Indian actor, but the scene, including Anil Kapoor and Tom Cruise, was shot in Dubai.
Slumdog: Millionaire
Slumdog millionaire is a famous movie based on the sensational show of India-Kaun Banega Crorepati. The story is about a teenager who becomes a millionaire while playing Kaun Banega Crorepati and later gets under suspicion that how he knows all the answers. At the same time, he didn’t have a good education. To prove to the world that he is not a cheater, he revealed some mind-blowing facts from his past life that depicts how he knows all the answers. Despite the fact that the movie was shooted in Mumbai, India, and having a cast full of Indians and Hindi songs, the movie is not an Indian movie. It’s from Hollywood because the film is directed by Danny Boyle and probably not funded by Indians.
Extraction
The next movie on our list is Extraction, released on 24th April 2020. The famous action-thriller movie starring Chris Hemsworth was one of the blockbuster movies of 2020 with an overall IMDb rating of 6.7. Freelance agent Tyler Rake aka Chris Hemsworth, was sent to rescue a drug dealer’s son in Dhaka kidnapped by his rival. However, the shooting was not done in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Most of the movie was filmed in India and Thailand. And specifically, the movie was shot in Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
Life of Pi
The famous movie that includes four real-life tigers, Life of Pi, was one of the best movies ever nominated for the eleven academic awards and won four awards. The story is about a young man who was in a Boat with another survivor but not of his kind, i.e., the Bengal tiger. They both generated some sort of friendship throughout the trip and made us realize some untold life lessons through their companionship. However, you will be amazed to know that the famous Hollywood movie has shot some scenes in Pondicherry, the hometown of Pi Patel.
The Jungle Book (1994)
The famous movie, The Jungle book (1994) was based on Rudyard Kipling’s book. Wild animals raised our protagonist, Mogwli, especially a wild pack of wolves; he enjoyed his life while staying and working with animals; however, the main twist came when humans asked him to take them to King Louie’s treasure. You will be astounded to know that some movie scenes have been shot in Jodhpur and Mumbai. Animals such as Old World monkeys and Asian elephants are mainly found in India, and that’s why the film has created some of its scenes in India.
The Namesake
The namesake movie is based on a book written by Jhumpa Lahiri. The film is based on a couple, Ashima and Ashoke, immigrant Bengali parents, trying to cope with America’s lifestyle. However, our protagonist is Gogol, the son of our beautiful couple, still struggling to cope up between two worlds. This Hollywood movie shooting takes place mainly in New York with a small portion in Calcutta, the hometown of our couple.
All of us love our movies, whatever be the genre. Our country has its own perks that make it a wonderful location to shoot a film. Some filmmakers believe that with good effects and a strategic mind, any movie can be shot within the confines of four walls.
Would you want to watch that?
Do you think you’ll be able to differentiate between the ones made artificially and those in nature’s light?
Stay tuned. Some exciting cinematic facts, trivia and the inside news is coming up!
