‘Baahubali’ to ‘Dilse’: Films shot at Athirappilly

The Hollywood cinematographer Gordon Willis once said, “ A cinematographer is a visual psychiatrist, moving an audience through a movie.” Likewise, a good cinematographer always has an eye for good visuals and never misses his mark in enriching a film with dazzling visuals. When one takes the case of Indian films, the Athirappilly waterfalls in Kerala, nicknamed ‘The Niagara of India’, have been the spot for several movie locations even during the era of 80s films including Prem Nazir starrer ‘Ponnapuram Kotta’. Here let's take a look at some of the films that completely utilized the beauty of Athirappilly waterfalls located in Thrissur district, Kerala.

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It's no surprise that the director SS Rajamouli who never compromises on the visual appeal of a film got impressed with the beauty of Athirappilly waterfalls and decided to shoot the opening sequence of the epic drama ‘Baahubali’ in the location. Remember the beautifully shot opening dreamy song sequence between the actors Prabhas and Tamannaah? Most of the scenes were shot in the backdrop of Athirappilly even though there are several graphical works involved in it.

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The renowned director Mani Ratnam couldn't help but listen to the call of the scenic beauty of Athirappilly waterfalls as he decided to shoot a song from the Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Dilse’ in the location. The portions from the iconic song ‘Jiya Jale’ were shot in the backdrop of Athirappilly waterfalls and the actress Preity Zinta’s iconic pose remains one of the beautifully shot frames in Indian film history.

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Remember the song ‘Barso Re’ where the beautiful and talented actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan effortlessly unveils her dancing moves in a complete rainy ambiance? Mani Ratnam really utilized the complete beauty of Athirappilly waterfalls with his Abhishek Bachchan starrer film ‘Guru’ which was released in the year 2007. The song’s beautiful lyrics and Aishwarya Rai’s flawless performance really lifted the spirit of the entire visuals created by the cinematographer Rajiv Menon.

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A major portion of the Kamal Haasan- Rekha starrer film ‘Punnagai Mannan’ was shot in the backdrop of Athirappilly waterfalls. The suicide scene of Kamal Haasan and Rekha’s character shot in Athirappilly became so famous in Tamil Nadu that the audience there called the spot the name ‘Punnagai Mannan Falls’.

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When the veteran director Mani Ratnam decided to shoot in Athirappilly waterfalls for the third time in the Vikram starrer film ‘Raavan’, the director decided to add a bit of risky elements to it as Aishwarya Rai’s character jumps off the cliff but survives. Keeping away the visually appealing factor of the shots, there were several nail-biting scenes in the film. Kudos to the director Mani Ratnam for perfectly capturing the beauty of Athirappilly waterfalls with perfectly balanced emotional elements.

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