Rwanda woos India to shoot films in the 'land of 1,000 hills'

When the head of Rwanda's Senate hosted a luncheon for Vice President Hamid Ansari atop Kigali's oldest luxury hotel offering a stunning view of the picturesque hills, the moment was more than coincidental.

'Remarkable Rwanda', as the country pitches its tourism attractions to the world, is now wooing 'Incredible India' to shoot films in the salubrious surroundings of this East African country.

During Ansari's recent visit to Kigali, first high-level visit from India, he held bilateral talks with President Paul Kagame and Senate President Bernard Makuza, and Rwanda, among other areas of cooperation, proposed to India to shoot Bollywood films in that country.

Makuza hosted a luncheon for Ansari on the rooftop of Hotel des Mille Collines, now an iconic landmark thanks to the famous and critically acclaimed film 'Hotel Rwanda'.

The Hollywood movie was inspired by an episode in the 1994 genocide during which the hotel and its manager at that time, Paul Rusesabagina, had sheltered over 1,200 people.

"The choice of a famous hotel (Hotel des Mille Collines) and setting up the lunch on its rooftop that overlook the breathtaking view of the hills, this wasn't a mere coincidence, I believe. It was to subtly tell India, what Rwanda can offer to tourists and filmmakers," an official told

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)