Friday, Jan 24, 2014
Mumbai:
Film-crazy Indians, as well as international Hindi film buffs, can now see the locations where Bollywood blockbusters are created, watch a film shooting in progress and perhaps even meet their dream star in person — an opportunity available through the newly launched Film City tour packages.
Ever since the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) announced a joint venture with the Film City (known as Dadasaheb Phalke Chitra Nagari) in suburban Goregaon last December, there has been an overwhelming response. “Over 1,000 inquiries have come to us from across the country,” says Chirag Shah of Multilink travel agency, which has been roped into operate the Bollywood tourism project for the economical package whilst Travelmartindia.com will run the medium and high-end packages. The prices at Rs499, Rs1999 and Rs3,250 per person respectively are meant to suit different pockets.
“Online booking will start from January 26/27 onwards at www.mumbaifilmcitytours.com and also from our 15,000 plus outlets across India,” Shah told Gulf News and said Multilink is all set to start managing the new star-struck business clientele.
The economical package will take tourists on a three-hour guided bus tour in English and Hindi to Film City’s famous studios, locations and its history. It will also give glimpses of shooting from the bus, an overview of film/TV serial sets and some interesting, unknown facts about Bollywood.
Tourists buying a medium-end package will be given Bollywood on wheel experience known as Beverly Hills of Bandra. In addition, tourists will be taken to film studios where a set is created of Bollywood Gully walk-through, Bollywood Museum, Cafe, costume gallery and VFX visual effects experience. They will be shown how special effects are used, taken on a tour of a TV/film serial set and get an opportunity to see a live shoot and celebrity spotting.
In addition to the benefits of both these packages, high-end tourists will have the privilege of visiting live shooting of TV soap sets in Film City.
According to Laxmikant Deshmukh, Managing Director, Film City, the idea was born simply going by the fact how people across the country enjoy Hindi cinema and many tourists to Mumbai yearn to see a film star and even some film shooting to get a firsthand experience of the place where popular films are made. Spread over 520 acres of land, next to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Film City has 15 studios and 45 outdoor locations.
Film City boasts of a varied natural topography including hills, valleys and ravines, flat open spaces, natural woods and lakes and ponds. It is described as an ecological jewel in the heart of the concrete jungle of Mumbai’s suburbs.
In addition to its natural scenic beauty, Film City has created several outdoor locations like a temple, helipad, playground, dam, bungalow, gardens, lakes, bridges and so on.
By Pamela Raghunath Correspondent
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
