This story is from July 3, 2003

South African buzz grips Bollywood

THE 'O' SPOT/OMAR QURESHI / TNN / Jul 3, 2003, 14:59 IST

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MUMBAI: South Africa seems to be the hottest new destination with Bollywood stars launching a culture attack on the locals of the country.

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script> <img align="left" src="/photo/57960.cms" alt="/photo/57960.cms" border="0" />MUMBAI: Suddenly, South Africa seems to be the hottest new destination for our filmis. What with our stars launching a culture attack on the locals of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Sun City, Durban, and so on. Suddenly, New Zealand, Switzerland and Amsterdam either seem too far, too expensive or just, too repeated.And SA is the new amphitheatre of the movie Explorers, constantly in search of new vistas for their Arriflexes. Maybe it was the sharp focus that the Cricket World Cup 2003 brought to the beautiful and diverse country, post which South Africa is the new buzzword for Bollywood. Just last week, Kareena Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Urmila, Akshay Kumar and Daler Mehndi were in Durban for a stage show. And the week before, the awe-inspiring locations of Cape Town were on display for Suniel Shetty, Celina Jaitley and Ajay Jadeja''s Khel which filmed three songs in different look ''n'' feel areas. <img align="left" src="/photo/57961.cms" alt="/photo/57961.cms" border="0" />Like Suniel Shetty (whose Popcorn Entertainment is producing Khel) told us: "You want white sands, you got it. Swing the camera around, you get mountains. Shift a bit, you get the Atlantic or Indian Ocean. Then you have huge malls, roads, cliffs, beaches and the works. And great hospitality too. Plus it''s close and cheap. I would bet on South Africa. It''s just too good." It was friend and Dil Ka Rishta producer Shabbir Boxwala who first introduced Suniel to local entertainment businessman and promoter Mr Ebrahim Kaskar, after he was happy with the hospitality his stars, Aishwarya and Arjun, enjoyed. And DKR wasn''t the only lucky recipient of Mr Kaskar''s super service. Andaaz actors Akshay, Lara, Priyanka; Aankhen stars Amitabh and Akki, and a host of Bollywood''s best were also honoured likewise. As Mr Kaskar took the trouble to inform: "Indian movie personalities are a superstitious bunch. And just because a few movies filmed here earlier (possible reference Prem Granth) didn''t do well, people preferred to stick to Switzerland and London as regular spots. But in terms of pure natural beauty and diversity of locations, South Africa scores over-all others. Cape Town in particular, because of its natural breathtaking beauty and low, almost negligible crime rate. On good days, we have almost forty shoots a day (including Indian movies, ads and Hollywood). "And its cheap too, given that the US Dollar is equal to 8 RSA Rands. Even one Rand is six Indian rupees, so it''s worthwhile economics. And given the Indian population, the stars feel at home with the food and the adulation too," Kaskar ends affably. Nalini Gupta, National Head of South African Airlines in India is of similar opinion: "The misconception about the crime rate and the disease is just that -- a misconception. The crime is perhaps lower than in any US or European city. And there is no disease. In fact, with awareness, the traffic to SA has gone up treble-fold in the last three years. And with Cape Town the new "lucky" destination post Hera Pheri, Filhaal, Aankhen, Dil Ka Rishta, Armaan, Ishq Vishq and Andaz, we expect the boom to multiply manifold." So it continues. Mahesh Manjrekar''s Laloo Prasad Yadav (a comedy with Johny Lever, Mahesh and Suniel) is already filming in SA even as units line up to shoot in a place where every Indian requirement is available. From cameras to film to lights to unit hands to super spots. All are found there. Except for the stars themselves, perhaps.</div> </div>

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