Austrian capital Vienna is set to welcome a 73-member
crew of filmmaker Karan Johar's upcoming production
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil , starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,
Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. The city hopes to
emerge as the next big draw for Bollywood shoots.
(Also Read: Ranbir, Anushka Begin Shooting KJo's Ae
Dil Hai Mushkil in London )
"It looks like Dharma Productions is visiting us from
Oct 14-25 with a 73-member crew. They're in contact
with our Embassy in New Delhi for visa formalities," an
official from the Vienna Tourist Board, which is also
facilitating the logistics, told IANS here.
"They have already been to shooting locales with the
Vienna Film Commission - it's a complimentary service
offered by the city to support national and global film
and TV productions interested in shooting movies,
documentaries, commercials and student films," the
official added.
Officials said Dharma Productions, Karan Johar's
production house, also has plans to shoot in Tirol, a
state in Western Austria. When asked if the tourism
team knew about Ae Dil Hai Mushkil , an official said, "I
think it is a triangular love-break-up story."
The film is currently being shot in London.
Officials also revealed that Austrian President Heinz
Fischer himself loved Bollywood films and was keen on
more Indian films being shot in his country. From The
Third Man to Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation ,
Vienna's stock as a film location is on the rise and the
officials here hope the Indian film industry will see the
merit in filming in its scenic and welcoming landscape.
The Viennese also take movie-making and screening
seriously.
Since its first cinema hall opened in 1902, Vienna has
26 multiplexes and independent halls with 26,000 seats.
There are also a host of art house cinemas. The
Viennale film festival screens some 300 movies and
documentaries over 14 days, attracting 100,000
domestic and overseas visitors.
Such has been the fan-following of films shot here that
Vienna today also has a The Third Man Museum as a
tribute to this landmark film with city also organising
tours of key locations -- including a trip down the
sewers. The 1987 James Bond thriller The Living
Daylights, starring Timothy Dalton, featured a kissing
scene on the city's landmark Giant Ferris Wheel.
In David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, actors
Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender , who played
psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were
filmed eating Austrian dessert at the city's Cafe Sperl
and taking a stroll through the grounds of the Belvedere
palace.
The Simon Curtis-directed Woman in Gold is the latest
film to have been shot in the city.
Starring Katie Holmes, Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds
and Daniel Bruhl, the plot revolves around a Jewish art
collector, Maria Altmann, who fights the Austrian
government for nearly 10 years to recover an iconic
painting of her aunt.
The Bollywood films which have been shot in Austria
include Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein , Mast , Ab Ke
Baras, Chal Mere Bhai , Albela, Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa, Tera
Jadoo Chal Gayaa and Yuvvraaj .
The city now hopes that Ae Dil Hai Mushkil , which
releases next year on Diwali, becomes a hit so that
Bollywood comes calling.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
CID
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