The outskirts of Chandigarh attract film units From sun-kissed fields to forgotten forts,cobbled streets and grand banyan trees,the villages located on the outskirts of Chandigarh are proving to be perfect for filmmakers on the look out for new destinations. From exploring the MLAs haveli in Nabha to the Manimajra fort,Fatehgarh Sahib stretch and the Kurali railway station,the camera crews have moved beyond Mullanpur and Sukhna Lake. So locations from the state have appeared on the big screen in several films,from West is West to Videsh- Heaven on Earth,London Dreams,Namastey London,Singh is Kinng,Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Buta Singh,Jab We Met and Veer Zaara. Numerous film crews are flying to areas near Chandigarh for shooting. This has led to competition among the inhabitants. The hunt is always on for new hot spots,especially those that are quaint and thinly populated,with no electric wires to tamper with the equipment or traffic that could delay work, says Darshan Aulakh,who runs one of the oldest production houses in Chandigarh,Darshan Aulakh Productions,as he pulls outa map of the latest shooting haunts. Mullanpur and Sukhna Lake are no longer popular. The villages right outside Chandigarh have smartened up and become a little greedy. Its inhabitants put a lot of conditions. They seldom cooperate and ask for a lot of money,so we had to move further, says Aulakh,who has taken film units to Jayanti,Siswan,Pajauli and Ranjitpura. We used to shoot in a lot of forts around the city,but the administration has now locked them. The MLAs haveli in Nabha has become popular after it was shown in Jab We Met, he adds. It required an extensive search,before Deepa Mehtas team of the film Videsh- Heaven On Earth discovered the Manimajra Fort that stands on the old Nanakshahi bricks. It is easy to access the fort and we shot the opening scene of the film here, says Kabir Singh,who was part of the production and design team. According to him,it was perfect to shoot Preity Zintas characters sangeet ceremony. To promote cinematic tourism,it is important to explore and preserve such places. No one has explored the city for film shoots,everyone runs to the villages. If I ever make a film,it will be in and on Chandigarh. It will feature the corridors of Government College of Art and the row of government houses in Sector 20, adds Singh. Andy De Emmony,meanwhile,decided to shoot almost 90 per cent of his film West is West,in a village situated near Siswan,about 20 km from the city. The location,the films line producer Harish Amin says,was a perfect match to a Pakistani village. We never got permission to shoot in Pakistan,so we had to find a village that resembled one, says Amin,about the village where the television show Desi Girls was also shot. The localites are of course most pleased. So when West is West was screened at the ongoing Indian Film Festival of India,a sense of pride was felt among those who were part of it. Almost 32 students of the Institute of Technology and Future Management Trends were a part of the film. We were thrilled that it made it to the festival, says the institutes director,Gulshan Sharma,adding how cinema and tourism are inseparable. There are so many places that are apt for shooting,from the Patiala railway station,where Love Aaj Kal was shot,to the Fatehgarh Sahib stretch,visited by the team of Johnny Mastana; and the Kurali railway station,which was seen in London Dreams. Nabha is also becoming popular, says Sharma. Ropar and Morni hills are ideal to give the feel of a mountain terrain, adds actor and producer Gulzar Inder Chahal,who shot for his film I Am Singh near the hills. And when it comes to shooting in Chandigarh,no one has done it more that Jaspal Bhatti and his students of Mad Arts Institute. The planned city and its green environs have been part of their television shows and short films.
