Eiffel Tower: Bollywood films shot there

The City of Love - Paris is a filmmaker's delight what with the idyllic street-side cafes and romantic bridges built over canals that snake through the city. But for Bollywood, Paris will always be synonymous with the Eiffel Tower. The 1063 ft high tower has featured in numerous Hindi films. Standing tall and proud, the tower provides the perfect backdrop for Bollywood's romance laced with naach-gaana. The beacon of love was opened to the public on March 31, 1889 and is celebrating its 126th Anniversary.

While, Google has dedicated a doodle to the tower to mark its anniversary, we list down the films that put Paris on our to-visit list...

Preity Zinta's production venture, Ishkq In Paris might have not fetched her much in terms of box-office figures but it did manage to capture the city of Paris in a beautiful manner. While most of the time, Bollywood films use the Eiffel Tower as a mere prop, Ishkq In Paris tried to weave the tower into the story, making it rather interesting. Akash (Rhehan Malliek) and Ishkq (Preity Zinta) meet on a train from Rome to Paris and spend a romantic evening in the city. While the film documents their journey, the city of Paris casts a spell on the viewers. However, this is not the only film to capture the amorous evenings of Paris.

In the film Evening In Paris, a wealthy woman (Sharmila Tagore) meets a charming but not completely truthful beau (Shammi Kapoor) in France and love blooms. Sweeping shots of the picturesque city will enthrall you to buy tickets to this romantic wonderland. However, the film's appeal hits a crescendo of sorts when the towering entity comes into the frame. It is impossible to think of the film and not have flashes of Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore dancing infront of the Eiffel Tower. While this film was shot in Paris a long time ago, a cult Bollywood film was also recently shot in the city. Read on to know which...

Queen is a coming-of-age film where the lead character finds herself through her trip to Paris. While the city has been captured in all its glory, the Eiffel tower plays a major role in the film. It extends itself as a character. While it isn't blatantly stated, the film hints at the similarity between the looming presence of the tower and the overpowering personality of Kangana's ex-fiance. The manner in which the tower is visible from every bylane of the city has been beautifully depicted in the film.

Kareena Kapoor's song from the film, Jeena Sirf Mere Liye is exactly what Bollywood wants to do with the Eiffel Tower. Sing and dance in front of it, of course! So a decked up Kareena Kapoor can be seen beckoning foreigners to come down to India and fall in love with an Indian. 'Ek baar tu...' song is as quirky as it gets and the costumes of the lead actress and background dancers are dunk in garish shades which is perhaps why, the Eiffel Tower and the pastel background that it is set in provides a great backdrop for the song.