Bollywood
is the source of inspiration for many aspects of Indian life, including travel.
European holidays as an idea were made popular by the trend of Bollywood songs
being shot abroad in exotic locations. Here are 10 destinations that Bollywood
brought to life:
Amsterdam, Netherlands Holiday
Hum Tum (2004), Queen (2014)
The Europe holiday centre of Amsterdam was featured in Hum Tum with Rani Mukherjee and Saif Ali Khan where the sites of Amsterdam Royal Palace, Aran Pub, Hard Rock Cafe, Museumplein can be seen. The Bollywood song Ladki Kyu features the canals and windmills of Amsterdam.
More recently the Bollywood song Hungama Ho Gaya from Queen with Kangna Ranaut was shot in an Amsterdam club called NL and became such a hit, that the club hosted a Bollywood party due to the demand.
Bruges, Belgium Holiday
PK
(2014) – Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput
The
first Indian film to be shot in the popular European holiday destination of
Bruges, also called the City of Romance,
was PK. The Bollywood song Chaar Kadam
features some landmarks like the Market Square, Sint-Jorisstraat,
the Beguinage, and the canals.
All this is available in fantastic Europe Holiday Packages that you can find on Tripshelf.com!
Corsica Island, France Holiday
Tamasha (2015) – Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone
The latest Ranbir- Deepika starrer Tamasha was partly shot in Corsica Island. Previously for Indian audiences, the European holiday destination of France was limited to Paris. But with the exquisite locations and beaches of Corsica featured in the movie, the island has become an instant hit.
Costa Brava, Seville, Pamplona – Spain Holiday
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)– Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin
The ultimate Indian road trip/bachelors movie, shot in various parts of Spain. Despite only one movie being shot here, the impact on Spain as a choice for a Europe holiday since the release of ZNMD has been huge. Many tour companies also organise road trips based on the movie.
Greece Holiday
Chalte Chalte (2003), Tashan (2008), Wanted (2009), Bang Bang (2014)
Locations like Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Rhodes have been popular choices for many Bollywood movies. Most recently Hrithik-Katrina starrer Bang Bang, and Bollywood song Meherbaan were shot there. Kareena Kapoor Khan famously danced in the freezing waters of Greece for the song Chhaliya Chhaliya. Chalte Chalte features many locations from the European wonder of Greece, as one of the protagonists – Rani Mukherjee’s character Priya is from there.
Hungary, Budapest Holiday
Hum
Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan
The
latter half of this Bollywood love triangle is set in Italy but shot in Budapest,
Hungary, which is fine until all the road signs are in Hungarian, and the
locals don’t speak Italian – not all of Europe is alike! Despite this, the
locations featured in the movie like the Opera House and the Széchenyi
Chain Bridge are etched in our memories. Salman Khan also headed to Budapest to
shoot the climax of Sultan and was spotted near the same bridge 17 years later!
London, United Kingdom Holiday
DDLJ, Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Jab
Tak Hai Jaan, Cocktail, Fan, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Ra.One …
Innumerable Bollywood songs and movies have been shot
in London. Karan Johar admits to London being one of his favourite foreign
locations and was recently used for his film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil with Ranbir
Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachhan. But the most iconic one worth
mentioning is DDLJ with scenes from Trafalgar Square, London where Amrish Puri
feeds pigeons, Southall London, which is home to Amrish Puri’s convenience
store and King’s Cross Railway Station where Shahrukh Khan and Kajol catch
their train.
Don't miss these spots on your Europe Tours Package! Compare Europe packages from SOTC, TUI, Thomas Cook, Cox and Kings, and other tour operators on Tripshelf.com
Paris, France Holiday
Sangam (1964), Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), Queen (2014), Befikre (2016)
Sangam made the use of foreign locations a trend in Bollywood songs. The honeymoon sequence features locations like Paris, Venice, Switzerland. The Eiffel Tower has been a prominent landmark in many films, including An Evening in Paris (1967) and Vikas Bahl’s coming of age drama, Queen. Despite the terror attacks, Paris, with its history and culture, is a thriving Europe holiday destination and a Bollywood song destination!
Prague, Czech Republic Holiday
Rockstar (2011) – Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakri
The central European capital city of Prague with its tiny cobblestone paths, modern buildings and gothic architecture was featured in the Bollywood movie Rockstar, and many sites like the Prague Castle, Sychrov Castle and Charles Bridge visble in the Bollywood song Hawa Hawa, became quite popular Europe holiday destinations.
Explore the Bollywood locations on Europe holiday packages that you can explore and find on Tripshelf.com
Switzerland Holiday
Chandni (1989), Darr (1993), Dilwale Dulhania Le
Jayenge (1995), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), Dhoom 3 (2013)…
Yash Chopra single-handedly put Switzerland on the map
as a European holiday destination by shooting many iconic Bollywood songs in
various locations around the picturesque country. The lake Alpenrausch was one
of the few locations of the shoot for Chandni. If you didn’t know, Yash Chopra
shot so many movies near that lake that the lake has been christened as Chopra
Lake.
Gstaad and Jungfraujoch have been featured in DDLJ, Bachna Ae Haseeno. There is even a Bollywood restaurant in Jungfrau!
