Home » Entertainment  » Bollywood Baatein »  Westward Ho! The Pyramids of Egypt, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the snowscapes of Alaska..No, we are not talking of possible holiday destinations. These exotic locations are now the preferred backdrop for Indian movies, especially song sequences.

Singing in Switzerland and Sydney

With the Government relaxing foreign exchange rules as well as laws pertaining to foreign travel and shoots, filmmakers are rushing to picturesque locales like the lakes in Geneva and the country roads of New Zealand. The latest Hindi blockbuster, Kaho Na Pyar Hai was filmed extensively in New Zealand while the Salman Khan - Aishwarya Rai starrer Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was shot in Eastern Europe. Even earlier box office hits like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai and Gupt were filmed in the eye-catching locales of Switzerland and Australia.

So what happened to our very own Kashmir, Kulu - Manali and Ooty?

Filmmakers feel that hill stations like Kodaikanal and Ooty have lost their charm because of large-scale commercialisation and poor maintenance. Kashmir is unsafe and hence out of bounds. Even permits to shoot films from the Archaeological Survey of India are hard to get. Added to this is the fact that travelling in India is time consuming. In a country like New Zealand filmmakers can cover distances within a matter of hours and get landscapes to suit their need - be it lush green meadows, snow capped peaks or a city with high-rise buildings. There are even special film agents who take care of foreign shoots. Now, filmmakers can scout for locations and contact foreign shoot co-ordinators and technicians on the Net. Like Rajeev Menon, the director of Kandukondein Kandukondein who shot a song featuring Aishwarya Rai and Abbas at the Eilean Donan castle near Inverness in Scotland.

Lush Picturisation and Great Music

Songs and dances are the main attractions in Indian films. How well a film does at the box-office depends a lot on how successful its audio is and what audiences want along with good music is grand visuals and good picturisation. By shooting their song sequences abroad, filmmakers get novel settings and breathtaking visuals that look good on TV promos and draw the initial crowds. It also helps them fight video piracy, as people prefer to watch these great visuals on the big screen.

Shooting in foreign locales also works out to be cheaper for producers if they manage to shoot two or three songs with a select crew and without extravagant sets. And many filmmakers who have shot their films abroad have hit the jackpot by recovering their entire production costs from the local markets itself.