Kankaria's a favorite with Gujarati films

While Riverfront, Sarkhej Roza and Adalaj Ni Vav also feature among the sought after song sequence shooting destinations for Gujarati films, more and more filmmakers are giving apnu Kankaria Lake a big thumbs up for shooting film songs and important sequences.
While films like Kevi Rite Jaish, Koi Ne Kehsho Nahi captured the enigma of Kankaria, more Gujarati films are exploring the destination for various reasons.Films like Aa To Prem Chhe and Aa Te Kevi Dunniya are the latest ones whose songs have been shot at the beautiful Kankaria Lake. Here���s what the Gujarati film fraternity has to say about the USP of the hotspot, which is Amdavadis��� fave weekend destination:
Budget friendly Taking from the train rides to filming songs at the Nagina Wadi and exploring more picturesque locations at the lake has always fascinated Gujarati film-makers. Says Avasthi, ���The total shooting expenditure at Kankaria Lake is budget friendly as compared to other destinations.���
Actor Yagensh Dave echoes the same sentiment. Says Yagnesh, ���A day���s shooting cost comes to `20,000 which includes the primary permission fee of shooting. The entry fee and the basic shooting charge when we shot a song came to `12,000. Plus, there is separate charge for shooting on the boat, shooting at the Atal Express at the Lake and so on. So, budget wise, it proved to be a good choice .���
Strong local connect Says actor Hitu Kanodia, whose film Lakhtar Ni Ladi Ne Vilayat No Var was shot in 1998 at the lake, which bore a different look years back, ���Ahmedabad is synonymous with Kankaria Lake. So, when a scene or a song is shot there, it definitely helps the Gujarati movie audience relate to it more.��� Agrees filmmaker Dinesh Avasthi. Says Avasthi, ���The romanticism and the history of the lake itself has a lot of mystique attached to it. The camera simply loves the amazing destination, which offers lot of picture perfect corners for the viewfinder to explore.���
Planning is a must For director Vipul Sharma, everything depends on proper planning. Says Sharma, ���One has to plan things better andto take permission from authorities first and then proceed.
Agrees Yagnesh, ���We assumed Tuesdays relatively witness less visitors, since the lake is closed to visitors on Monday. To our dismay we found a lot of visitors who flocked to the lake on a Tuesday when we took permission for the shoot. We had to wait for hours for the visitor density to thin to picturise our song, part of which was to be done at the train. After this experience, the next time we shot the remaining part after analyzing every detail.���
With Gujarati filmmakers showing a keen interest, there seems to be a lot of buzz around.