FPJ Anniversary 2023: From Silver Screen To Real-Life Dreams; The Rise of Bollywood-Themed Travel Experiences

Today’s Instagram-ready holiday-maker is eager to explore and pose at the same national and international hotspots as the stars in their favourite films. This is making Bollywood-inspired travel a high-growth niche.

Kiran Gupta, a holistic healer, has zeroed in on her next holiday. The film buff sighs, “l love the vibe of the romantic song 'Kuch Toh Hua Hai in Singham Returns' featuring Kareena and Ajay Devgn. It was shot at Golconda fort and the location looked fabulous onscreen. So I will make sure I plan a trip to Hyderabad and go on a city tour that includes the Golconda fort.”

Well-heeled film aficionados like Gupta are today clamouring to travel to glossy locales portrayed in a flattering light in Hindi films. The Indian tourism industry is rushing in to fulfil this demand, and is actively promoting Bollywood-related destinations.

The Surge

Pradnya Naik, Head of Products and Contracting at Kesari Tours, credits B-town film production houses’ creativity for the steady flow of tourists eager to visit various shooting locations. She reasons: “Filmmakers take great effort to portray the locales beautifully in their films. Rather than just reading about a place, seeing it on the big screen really makes a difference. We are happy when films do the work of portraying a location so well; it helps us to sell the destination better.”

Pradnya rattles off various films that have given rise to holiday dreams. She says, “When 'Jab We Met' was shot in Manali and Leh, more people were inspired to travel there. The film also made train journeys popular again.” She says that Rajasthan tour queries increased after people liked what they saw of the state in the wedding sequences in 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani', and adds, “After 'Dil Dhadakne Do', we got a lot of inquiries for cruises on ships, and after Sushant Singh’s film, we have the Gen Z going to Kedarnath.”

Anshu Tejuja, the chief travel designer at Ashoka Dream Holidays, also avers that there's a great demand among tourists to visit locations where their favourite film stars have been. She elaborates, “Bollywood and travel go hand in hand. People want to go to Rajasthan to step into the royal grandeur they have witnessed in 'Padmaavat', 'Jodhaa Akbar' and 'Paheli' at Amer Fort, Lake Palace, and Mehrangarh Fort. Or fans opt for Manali because of its scenic beauty which was on display in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. They want to explore the tea plantations of Munnar, Kerala, after watching 'Chennai Express' or experience Goa’s carefree vibe like in 'Dil Chahta Hai'.”

Following the stars

Consequent to this demand, many travel companies have designed tours that prominently incorporate Bollywood shooting locations. Anshu curates experiential travel journeys and arranges customised trips for clients. She explains, “We help our clients relive the magic of the movies by taking them to the exact spots where iconic scenes were filmed. In Kashmir, we include shikara rides on Dal Lake where many memorable films have been shot and Pahalgam's lush meadows and river views are an ideal backdrop for a Betaab-inspired trip. Sonmarg’s pristine beauty, which was a key location for 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan', provides a majestic setting for photographs.”

Pradnya too fields many Bollywood-related queries from clients at her travel agency. She says. “If a place is popular as a shooting location then it becomes a must on our itinerary because people want to go where stars have been. In Kashmir, they want to stay in a houseboat on Dal Lake because of the popularity of the films shot there. They want to dress up in Kashmiri dress and shoot. Recently, the Night Manager was shot at the Oberoi Cecil in Shimla and clients asked us to organise their sightseeing around that place.”

The same trend follows for international destinations too. Pradnya reveals, “After 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara', the demand for visiting the Tomatino Festival in Spain was crazy. Thanks to the film, people got to experience how the locals celebrate their festivals.”

Manu Kashyap of Windmill Holidays concurs, “Bollywood is a major influencer in the travel arena, showcasing great locations and activities. Whether it’s Amitabh Bachchan in the valleys of Kashmir to Shah Rukh in Iceland, we cover it all while curating holidays for our clients.”

Echoing the sentiments of many tourists, Sangeeta Kamath admits to the Bollywood influence in determining holiday spots. She says she would love to visit Kashmir because “It reminds me of Rajendra Kumar serenading Sadhana in a shikhara for the film, Arzoo, and Shammi Kapoor jumping into the Dal lake in 'Kashmir Ki Kali'.”

Films have inspired tourism right from the time, Raj Kapoor lavishly portrayed Kashmir and even European destinations in 'Barsaat' and 'Sangam'. Later, Yash Chopra put tulip gardens and Switzerland on the Indian tourist’s map. Pradnya reveals, “Tourists want to see the tulip gardens near Amsterdam because Amitabh Bachchan romanced Rekha there in 'Silsila'. It is now informally called 'Silsila Garden'. Yash Chopra also gets credit for bringing Indian clientele to Switzerland and they have even erected a statue in his honour at Interlaken, Switzerland.”

Instagram age

Today's generation, says the travel experts, experiences a holiday differently from the way their parents did. Pradnya analyses, “Now it’s more about portraying it on their Instagram feed. They want that one gorgeous click where they can proclaim: I have been at that same place where they shot this movie.” Anshu smiles, “They love to pose and upload location pictures of iconic spots on their social media with Bollywood taglines. You'll be amazed at how much fun people have getting into character at these famous spots. For instance, at Pangong Lake in Ladakh, many just can't resist recreating Aamir Khan's poses from 3 Idiots.”

Growing potential

The significance of Film Tourism is highlighted by the concerted efforts being made to promote Indian shooting locales. Anshu shares that several tour operators provide trips to Film City in Mumbai and the Ramoji Rao Film City in Hyderabad. The West has already explored the potential for film-related tourism through theme parks like Universal Studios in the USA or the New York tours that guide tourists through city landmarks made famous by shows like 'Friends' and 'Seinfeld'. Pradnya confidently prophesises, “In the near future, in India too Bollywood Tourism is poised to take off in a big way.”