Bollywood in Turkey: Favorite haunt of Hindi movies
Exploring Turkey Through Bollywood: Iconic Locations in "Ek Tha Tiger"
The Evolution of Cinema: A Global Connector
From the very first movie screening of the Lumiere brothers in Paris to the diverse mix of commercial and art-house movies of the last century. Cinema has always played a prominent role in connecting peoples and nations. Indian cinema is one of the national film industries that has enjoyed immense fame around the world and continues to attract huge audiences.
The Diversity of Indian Cinema
India has diverse regional cinemas in different languages such as Telugu, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada. However, the Hindi cinema based in Mumbai, popularly known as Bollywood (a portmanteau of Bombay – the former name of Mumbai – and Hollywood), is the most popular. While Bollywood has been a source of employment for local and international artists, it has become a global enterprise working as a medium of cross-cultural communication.
Hindi movies have become a kind of soft power for the country, gaining widespread popularity in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Southern Asia and Africa. Be it a family drama, sci-fi, historical/periodic drama or romance. Movies often leave a lasting impression on viewers and also help in transmitting traditional and cultural awareness from one country to another. Bollywood’s movies have played an important role in constructing a cultural identity for many people who are living outside India as part of the Indian diaspora.
Bollywood was initially comprised of musical romance films, but underworld crime films were also shot in later periods. After the word Bollywood was coined in the 1970s, its conventions were also defined, turning the industry into one producing “masala” films combining genres like action, comedy, romance, drama, melodrama and musical.
Turkey: A Cinematic Treasure for Bollywood
The classical Bollywood movies were shot at scenic spots within the country such as Kashmir, Himachal, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad. But over time, directors and producers started to prefer foreign destinations to attract international audiences. Thus, Bollywood movies unified world cultures by featuring many local and international destinations such as Europe, Spain, London, Australia, the U.S., New Zealand, Dubai and Turkey.
The Allure of Scenic Locations
It is no surprise that Turkey is a favorite location for Indian filmmakers to shoot their movies. The country’s rich traditions, combined with diverse European elements and natural scenic beauty, fascinate Indian filmmakers. The country’s ethnographic, archaeological, historical and visual values provide poetic impressions in their movies while the metropolis of Istanbul gives a sense of timelessness with its architecture. For example, the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, the cultural gem of Turkey, the beautiful Bosporus strait and the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest markets in the world, are all favorite locations for directors to film their artistic compositions.
According to a 2007 study, Bollywood produces around 400 films every year and remains the largest film industry in India. In most of these movies, Turkey’s exotic locations attracted filmmakers. Among some big-budget movies with high ratings shot in Turkey are “Race 2,” “Game,” “Guru,” “Dil Dhadakne Do” (“Let the Heart Beat”), “Baby,” “Ek tha Tiger” (“Once There was a Tiger”) and “Mission Istanbul: Darr ke Aagey Jeet Hai.”
The movie Ek Tha Tiger, starring actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, features scenes filmed at various iconic locations. The production team chose the Maiden’s Tower in Istanbul, Zinciriye Madrasa in the ancient city of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, and the luxurious Mardan Palace Hotel in Antalya, a popular Mediterranean resort town.
Actor Abishek Bachan’s movie “Guru” had numerous scenes shot in Istanbul’s Nuruosmaniye Mosque, including the scenes for the song “Mayya Mayya.” Similarly, the film “Race’” was also filmed in Antalya’s ancient city of Perge.
Along with the natural and historical value making it a perfect location for films, Turkey also keenly supports film tourism via a number of incentives in costs, infrastructure and logistical facilities for foreign filmmakers. As a result of these efforts, the Turkish government has been attracting international filmmakers to the country, especially Indian filmmakers.
Bollywood: A Global Phenomenon
For example, renowned British director and screenwriter Guy Ritchie shot his latest action movie “Five Eyes” in Turkey’s Antalya province. Tehran-based movie production company Helia also recently finished the shooting of “Tears of God” in Antalya over the course of 53 days.
Last year, Indian international actor Aamir Khan announced that his newest production, Laal Singh Chaddha, would be filmed in Turkey. The team paused the production of Laal Singh Chaddha, an adaptation of the 1994 classic film Forrest Gump, due to the coronavirus outbreak in India. After Khan visited Turkey, he revealed plans to shoot the movie in Mount Demirkazık in Niğde, Adana, and Istanbul.
Another new Indian production, Durga, features the work of renowned Indian director Ribhu Dasgupta and esteemed producer Vivek Agrawal. The filmmakers chose southeastern Gaziantep, Mardin provinces, and Cappadocia, one of Turkey’s top tourist destinations, as filming locations for the action-packed movie.
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