Travel with the Movies Sheema Mookherjee Contents October 2013 Preface

FROM THE PUBLISHER Travel with the Movies Sheema Mookherjee Contents October 2013 Preface...... 4 This is a first-time book for India! How often we Delhi...... 6 must’ve wanted to travel to every place we’ve seen in Agra...... 40 the movies. The Ladakh of Aamir and Kareena in 3 Idiots, the Kasauli of Hrithik in Krrish, the Kutch of Lucknow...... 54 Salman and Aishwarya in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam… Varanasi...... 64

Indian film-makers have revelled in bringing beautiful Shimla...... 80 locations to their viewers through the lens – from India’s Kasauli...... 92 magnificent mountains to lovely lakes, beaches, waterfalls, and Nainital...... 102 historic forts, palaces and temples. Movies have familiarised us with our own country, often inspiring us to travel to locations Amritsar...... 110 where they’ve been shot. Kashmir...... 122 Ladakh...... 136 Filmi Escapes – Travel with the Movies combines the fascinating worlds of travel and cinema – making both the Udaipur...... 146 fantasies come true. So pick up this guide and re-live every Jaisalmer...... 162 cinematic moment that makes travel destinations special. Use Mumbai...... 176 the specialist information provided by the world’s leading travel expert on hotels, transport, food and sightseeing, and Western Ghats...... 208 enjoy the filmi moments intertwined with each place. Follow Goa...... 228 the recommendations by big names of cinema, such as Karan Johar, Mahesh Bhatt and Muzaffar Ali, and feel as carefree as Gujarat...... 248 the stars as you explore these gorgeous destinations. Kolkata...... 272 Darjeeling...... 292 The book is crammed with photographs and travel tips, as well as stunning shots from films and amusing anecdotes about Ooty...... 302 the actors who have made these places come alive. Enjoy your Kerala...... 314 ‘safar’ filmi style!

© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Sample chapter All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. 3 India on the Silver Screen 4

PREFACE Exploring a destination on screen is as old as Indian cinema. Thanks to song sequences, directors have travelled to all corners of the country. In some cases, the climax of a film is set India on the Silver Screen against a backdrop far removed from where the story pans out. Dibakar Banerjee October 2013 Tourist guides in many destinations use filmi ‘anecdotes to make their narratives more interesting. The summer of 1977. I was about eight years old, a They will tell you how many cameras were used, how curious, playful boy in a West Delhi colony. That’s many dancers there were, from which direction the the time Kanu and Timsi walked into my life, heroine ran into the frame, how the hero jumped into transporting me to the cool climes of Kashmir. the scene to take the villain by surprise and so on... Newlyweds, the duo escaped to snow-draped landscapes to ̓ mark the beginning of the new chapter in their lives. And A milestone in Indian cinema's love affair with locations they sure knew how to have fun in the snow, singing and is Sholay; the blockbuster was shot almost entirely at dancing away against a backdrop of white peaks, pine trees Ramanagaram (near Bangalore), a place no one had even and log huts. heard of until the film came along.

To this day, I cherish that ‘trip’ to Kashmir. I owe it to the man I've heard that tourist guides in many such destinations use who introduced millions of Indians to their own country: Yash filmi anecdotes to make their narratives more interesting. Chopra. Kanu and Timsi are characters from his film,Doosra They will tell you how many cameras were used, how many Aadmi, played by real-life couple Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh. dancers there were, from which direction the heroine ran into Doosra Aadmi showed me how cinema, especially Bollywood, the frame, how the hero jumped into the scene to take the treats ‘location’ as a character in its stories. And, somewhere, it villain by surprise and so on. gave birth to the traveller in me. I imagined myself in the same locale, running around trees and hurling snowballs. One of my favourite film-makers is Satyajit Ray, a man whose passion for detailing and travel came across beautifully in his Doosra Aadmi showed me how cinema, especially films. One of the most commendable portrayals of Varanasi ‘Bollywood, treats ‘location’ as a character in its stories. in Indian cinema is Ray’s Aparajito. The serpentine alleys, And, somewhere, it gave birth to the traveller in me. I the crowded ghats, the crumbling mansions, the temples, the imagined myself in the same locale, running around trees slow, uneventful life of the Bengali diaspora... every scene in and hurling snowballs. ̓ Aparajito is like a page in a guide to Varanasi. In the same year I watched Amar Akbar Anthony – a true-to- India is truly blessed when it comes to locations. In two of formula Hindi popcorn film. Among the many hit songs it gave my films, I have used Delhi, my hometown. If I make another us, my favourite is ‘Humko tumse ho gaya hain pyar kya kare’. Delhi film, I’d like to use the Metro Railway and show how it I could visualise myself in a buggy with the lovely Parveen has changed lives in the capital. Fort Kochi is where I would Babi, racing down a secluded Mumbai (then Bombay) beach. love to film a murder mystery. If I do end up making the film, When I arrived in Mumbai in 1991, as a trainee, I remember you will discover yet another gem of a destination through the looking for a buggy on the beach. eyes of a movie camera. © Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Sample chapter All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. 5 Gujarat 6 Gujarat LAGAAN MIRCH MASALA GURU MANTHAN

Above L–R: Nothing like a flat, bare, brown expanse to set a boy who guides illegal border crossing groups to Pakistan The Mirch off glittering surfaces and colours made of fire through the salty marshes of the Rann of Kutch. The full moon Masala women; and earth. ‘Aag hawa paani ko milaya, to phir ye on salt flats creates magic on the screen. Aamir Khan tasveer bani’ (a portrait made of fire, wind, and plays an water), goes a song in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam Kutch was also India’s face at the Oscars. Aamir Khan’s period oppressed farmer in (1999). While it seeks to describe heroine Aishwarya Rai, drama Lagaan (2001), entirely shot in Kutch, is still the only Lagaan playing the ebullient Nandini, it is also a brilliant description Indian film to be nominated for the best non-English language Aishwarya of Kutch — the elemental desert terrain of Gujarat that is so category. ‘With love, care and concern for the people of Kutch,' as a Gujarati attractive to film-makers. This Sanjay Leela Bhansali film is goes the dedication in Lagaan. The narrative of the film, in belle in remembered for several reasons: the birth of Ajay Devgn Amitabh Bachchan’s voice, announces that the Guru as a romantic hero; Ismail Darbari’s haunting melodies including KK’s ‘Tadap tadap ke iss dil se…’; Neeta Lulla’s arresting costumes, and the much talked about Salman Khan– Aishwarya affair.

Beauty in barrenness is something that Kutch, the white salt desert sprawled out on India’s border with Pakistan, has given the world to think about. And that includes the world of Indian cinema. The white desert is a rare sight, and it is exploited well by JP Dutta in Refugee (2000), the debut film for both Abhishek Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor. Abhishek plays © Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Sample chapter All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. 7 Gujarat 8 Why go AHMEDABAD While the capital city Ahmedabad retains some charm amid 1 Sabarmati Ashram its chaos, the countryside holds most of this state’s treasures. About 5km north of the centre, in peaceful, shady grounds on Traditional artisans in Kutch's tribal villages weave, the Sabarmati River’s west bank, this ashram was Gandhi’s headquarters from 1917 to 1930 during the long struggle for embroider, dye and print some of India’s finest textiles. And Indian independence. It’s said Gandhi chose this site because colourful festivals burst with a cornucopia of culture across it lay between a jail and a cemetery, and any satyagrahi was the state. Gujarat also claims a special relationship to the life bound to end up in one or the other. From here, on 12 March and work of Mahatma Gandhi. 1930, Gandhi and 78 companions set out on the Salt March to Dandi on the Gulf of Cambay in a symbolic protest, with Quick Facts Gandhi vowing not to return to the ashram until India had gained independence. The ashram was disbanded in 1933, GETTING THERE GETTING around later becoming a centre for Dalit welfare activities and cottage Air: Ahmedabad’s busy airport has Autorickshaws are aplenty in Gujarat direct flights to all major Indian cities. and mostly run by meter. industries. Gandhi’s poignant, spartan living quarters are preserved, and there’s a museum that presents an informative And from here, you can also take trains GREAT FOR or flights to Bhuj, the headquarters of record of his life and teachings. After Gandhi’s death some of

the Kutch district, and to Rajkot. Both his ashes were immersed in the river in front of the ashram. Bhuj and Rajkot are also connected by www.sabarmati.org; Ashram Rd; 8.30am–6.30pm air to Mumbai. BEST TIME TO VISIT Rail: There are several trains J F M A M J J A S O N D Calico connecting Ahmedabad to Mumbai 2 Calico Museum of Textiles Museum and Delhi. There are daily trains from This museum contains one of the world’s finest collections of showcases Ahmedabad to both Bhuj and Rajkot. the history antique and modern Indian textiles, all handmade and up to of Indian 500 years old. There are some astoundingly beautiful pieces, textiles Highlights • Ahmedabad: Tackle a thali, explore the old-city mosques, and pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

• Villages of Kutch: Admire and acquire some of India’s best textiles.

• Little Rann: Go looking for wild asses on the flat salt plains.

Beautiful mirrorwork from Kutch

4 Accommodation chandeliers, but the rooms are Navrangpura; s/d from `3125/3750 ambience. It’s an icon of the upper tasteful, spacious and clean. Deluxe (incl breakfast) This is a calm, well-run classes, and hugely popular. Service Ahmedabad rooms feature zebra-print furnishings hotel on a quiet street close to the is first-rate, and the indoor swimming Royal Orchid Central.. .Hotel ``` and sparkling bathrooms with big, Chimanlal Girdharilal (CG) Road shops pool and gym are divine. If you know %079-30912345; www. glassed-in showers. There is a 24-hour in middle-class Navrangpura. Rooms your dates, book in advance online to royalorchidhotels.com; Ellis Bridge; restaurant, free airport shuttle service, aren’t huge but are solidly comfortable receive a discount of up to 30%. s `7000–8000, d `8000–9000, and helpful staff, all in a great location. and well equipped, and there’s an ste `12,000 (all incl breakfast) in-house wine shop as well as a multi- Hotel Volga Hotel ` Opposite Gujarat College, this luxury Hotel Ambassador.. .Hotel `` cuisine restaurant. Good discounts %079-25509497; www.hotelvolga. hotel has a waterfall in the lobby and %079-25502490; www. are often available; airport transfers in; off Relief Rd, Hanuman Lane, Lal aromatheraphy in the air. Rooms ambassadorahmedabad.com; are free. Darwaja; s/d `750/850, s with AC are tasteful and comfortable, with Khanpur Rd; s/d from `2100/2500 `950–1200, d with AC `1150–1400 state-of-the-art gadgets, including With a bright white exterior and House of MG Heritage `` This surprisingly good option tucked universal electrical sockets and iPod modern decor inside, the Ambassador %079-25506946; www.houseofmg. down a narrow street behind the docks. There’s an excellent 24-hour greets you with a chilled lobby and com; Lal Darwaja; s/d from House of MG is worth searching out. restaurant and coffee shop. Free friendly desk. It follows up with rooms `4990/6490, ste from `9990/11,900 Rooms are smart and respectably airport transfers too. that are quite stylish in browns and (all incl breakfast) This 1920s building clean, with a hint of 1970s design in creams. With discounts often available, (with two excellent restaurants) the curved beige walls – some are Le Meridien Ahmedabad.. .Hotel `` it’s good value; ask to have breakfast opposite Siddi Sayid’s Mosque was more dashingly decorated. The front %079-25505505; http://lemeridien. included and it will be. once the home of textile magnate desk is friendly and efficient, checkout com/ahmedabad; Khanpur Rd; s/d Sheth Mangaldas Girdhardas; it was is 24 hours, and you can order decent from `6500/7500, ste `20,000 (all Ritz Inn Hotel `` converted into a beautiful heritage multi-cuisine food (mains `95 to `175) incl breakfast) This luxurious option %079-22123842; www.hotelritzinn. hotel in the 1990s by his great- to your room. towers over the Sabarmati River’s east com; Station Rd; s `2700–2900, grandson. All the rooms are vast, bank. All rooms are super comfortable d `3300–4800 Near the railway verandah-edged and masterfully Hotel Ambassador offers stylish rooms – making cheaper rooms the best deal station, this smart hotel has unusual decorated, with a homey yet luxurious at reasonable rates – and the suites are palatial. Breakfast class and is excellent value for money. is excellent and as huge as you like, The art-deco lobby, comfortable and there is a neat indoor swimming rooms with superb beds, and pool, spa and sauna. Ask for the best unusually slick and amiable service available rate, which can be about half make it an outstanding option. There’s the rack rate. a good veg restaurant, checkout is a civilised 24 hours, discounts are often Hotel Royal Highness.. .Hotel `` available and it offers free airport and %079-25507450; www. station transfers. hotelroyalhighness.com; Lal Darwaja; s/d from `2750/3300 Comfort Inn President.. .Hotel `` (incl breakfast) The lobby is a bit %079-26467575; www. tacky, with wood panelling and glass comfortinnpresident.com; off CG Rd,