Bollywood goes local

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="74.4%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><a href="javascript:popUp(&quot1;photopop?msid=121001&type=0&quot1;)"> <img border="0" align="left" src="/cms.dll/thumb?height=276&width=276&photoID=121001" hspace="12"" /></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Click on image for more</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">After Switzerland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, India seems to be finally getting its due in Bollywood.Filmmakers are breaking new grounds at home because of new stories and smaller budgets. <br /><br />One of the positive offshoots of the small budget film phenomenon has been that filmmakers are looking to exploit the diverse sceneries in India itself, instead of squandering millions on exotic locales in another continent. <br /><br />And it has nothing to do with Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohameed Sayeed asking Bollywood to shoot in Kashmir, once one of the most favoured destinations. Ooty is passé too. Shimla, however, retains some its charm, with parts of "Jaal" and "Chori Chori" shot in the scenic hills.<br /><br />But what’s really in now is that Bollywood is exploring unfamiliar territory. In the year’s first hit Jism, one of the high points was the scenic beaches and old world charm of Pondicherry. <br /><br />For her upcoming film Paap, Jism producer Pooja Bhatt has shot in Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. “When you have no money, you can’t go to Switzerland and South Africa. Then, you have to discover your own backyard,� says Bhatt, who is also directing the film. <br /><br />Bhatt sounds thrilled at the results. “We have come back with the most spectacular location. If nothing else, I can assure you, you haven’t seen locations like this anywhere else,� she trills. “Paap will do to Spiti what Jism did to Pondicherry.�<br /><br />But it’s not always exotic locales: filmmakers are also utilising uninspiring places like Delhi. The capital city probably never looks as beautiful in real life as it did in Mukesh Bhatt’s Saaya, when John Abraham walked its wintry, rain-swept streets. In Chori Chori, Rani Mukherjee enjoys Diwali festivities in the brightly-dressed Connaught Place. <br /><br />Another factor behind the new phenomenon is the new themes. J P Dutta’s war epic LoC has been shot in Ladakh. So is Farhan Akhtar’s Lakshya, which has the Kargil war as the backdrop. Both the films have made news for the difficulties the cast and the crew encountered shooting at the high altitude. <br /><br />Bhatt recalls how she was also warned against shooting in Spiti. “People said ‘Are you female J P Dutta or what?’ But we have had amazing results.�<br /><br />After newer concepts, slicker styling and smarter special effects, it’s the Bollywood settings that are getting redefined. <br /><br /></div> </div>