Movies that made cities famous

Faceless backdrops are passe. Film-makers have been turning cities into crucial characters in recent movies
Bollywood has found a new role player. The cities in which stories are set are making their presence felt as much as the protagonists and co-actors do. The title track of Delhi-6 isn���t about either the hero or heroine but the place and its charm.Other recent films like Dev.D, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and even some upcoming releases like Delhi Belly, Aloo Chaat and New York are very city-centric.
Film-maker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, whose Rang De Basanti and Delhi-6 are Delhi-based, says cities play an important role in designing a film. ���The place, which is the backdrop, becomes the need of the story and something indispensable. I don���t select a city because it has scenic beauty, but because of its essence and the meaning it gives to the story,��� he says.
Dibakar Banerjee, who directed Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, agrees about the importance of place as story-teller. ���Stories can either be general or specific. A general story can be set in any part of the world. My films always have stories that are specific and the place plays a very prominent role in telling the story. The environment and its details are all essential,��� he points out. He says the place helps enrich the film. ���Besides the characters, the place adds something extra to a film. The roads, the localities as well as the accent of the people lend it depth and appeal,��� adds Dibakar.
Pradeep Sarkar, whose Parineeta was set in Kolkata, says a place is an important character in a story. ���Parineeta is based on 1960s Calcutta. The culture and the locales of the place are characters in the film,��� says Pradeep. ���The story couldn���t have been set in the any other city because then we would have lost the integral traits of the place,��� he explains.
Kabir Khan, the director of Kabul Express and the upcoming New York, says, ���These films are attempts to bring out what is inherent in a city. Gone are the days when movies would be shot in famous international cities without any specific reason.��� He points out that, ���New York is shot in New York City because the story is about the city and its people. Whether it���s big or small, every city has its own unique qualities. It���s great to see that films are now exploring that aspect.���