Location is as important to a film as any superstar. If you’ve been intrigued by the places you visit on screen, here’s how to stay longer.
Dalhousie, LOOTERA
The locations used in Lootera play a major role in making the film look so dream-like. The story shifts from the earthly beauty of Bengal to the snowy terrains of Dalhousie, so the director, Vikramaditya Motwane, could use these locations to change the mood from warm and romantic to stark and poignant. Some of the action scenes were shot at Subhash Chowk in Dalhousie. The film was also shot at the 11th century Jain temple in Deulghata,WB.
KERALA, RAAVAN
Athirapally waterfalls, the largest in Kerala, are where Mani Ratnam’s Raavan was shot. The 80-ft falls create a silvery-white veil of water and spray cool mist everywhere. While they look beautiful from a distance too, to enjoy the falls in all their glory, take the trail that takes about 30 minutes to reach the bottom. Like all waterfalls in India, Athirapally too is experienced best in the monsoon.
Darjeeling, BARFI
The north Bengal town has been a much-loved destination for Bollywood. But probably no one shot it as beautifully as Ravi Varman did for Barfi. The movie highlights the old-world charm of Darjeeling. Barfi portrays some of the town’s finest spots, like Keventer’s, the Clock Tower and the Planter’s Club, one of Darjeeling’s most iconic buildings.
North India, HIGHWAY
This film showed an India very few people have seen. It was shot in Kashmir’s Aru Valley, Rohtang Pass, Kaza and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, Ajmer and Pushkar in Rajasthan, and Faridkot and Nurmahal in Punjab. Aru Valley is the starting point for treks to the Kolahoi glacier. Apart from gurudwaras, Faridkot is famous for architectural monuments like the Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Masood Ganjshakar, Qila Mubarak fort and Tosha Khana that were shown in the film.