Delhi's landmarks in Bollywood

Way back in 1993, filmmaker Vijay Anand was adamant that he wanted the evergreen song “Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukaar” set inside Qutub Minar.
And since that was not so feasible a proposition in those days, a set was created, simulating the winding steps inside the Minar. And that’s how Dev Anand got to woo Nutan in “Tere Ghar Ke Samne”. But this was not a one off case even then, as one often saw Delhi’s landmarks like the Rashtrapati Bhawan, India Gate and Rajpath, besides shots of Lutyen’s Delhi, off and on in all the cinemascope, Eastman Colour glory.
But of late, the frequency of shooting at Delhi’s landmarks has increased.It’s no longer surprising to see a huge crowd at the India Gate in the morning as you drive to office and later, hear that a Bollywood movie is being shot there. There’s something about Delhi’s monuments and landmarks that gets filmmakers excited – is it the vastness of the structures like Jama Masjid and Red Fort? Or the historical importance attached to them and others like Humayun’s Tomb, Rajpath and India Gate, to name a few? Perhaps both. Did “Fanaa” not get its gravitas from Red Fort? Did “Kurbaan” not get a twist of patriotism from the shot at Rajpath?
And not only the filmmakers, the stars too – when they come here to shoot – are awed by the monuments in Delhi. When Prabhu Deva came to Delhi last year, for the shooting of Sanjay and Boney Kapoor’s “It’s My Life”, he took one look at Qutub Minar and exclaimed, “This is a memorable moment for me.” But for some filmmakers, these monuments and landmarks also become the clichéd image of Delhi. As director Sudhir Mishra says, “Although I had shot near Rajpath for “Hazaaron Khawaishen Aisi”, I decided to stay away from that place again for “Yeh Saali Zindagi” since it’s becoming a stock shot that represents Delhi.” Danish Aslam, who’s made “Break Ke Baad” says that he tried to stay away from shooting at the usual landmarks in Delhi, like India Gate and Rajpath.
But that makes the filmmakers to look for more ‘Delhi’ symbols. They go looking for the charming Delhi of yore, of sprawling lawns and dappled sunlight, busy bazaars, and Lambretta scooters, to Chandni Chowk and Paranthe Wali Gali and to the labyrinths of Hauz Khas Village and other lesser explored landmarks. The effort, as Danish says, “Is to show a newer Delhi that non-Delhiites haven’t seen before.” In fact, Devika Bhagat who wrote “Aisha” and who’s been an assistant director and now plans to make her own film, says she feels a little irritated when people take just “montage shots of Rajpath to show Delhi. The city is so green, so wide, so visually stunning, a film shot here could be spectacular”. That’s a fact, won’t you agree?
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