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With more and more filmmakers shooting in Goa, Bollywood-obsessed Indian tourists are making a beeline to Goa. Be it director Rohit Shetty, who keeps coming here time and again to shoot his films, or others filmmakers, Goa is extremely popular place to shoot. Hence, movies like Go Goa Gone or Dum Maaro Dum have been entirely shot in Goa.
And it's not just beaches that Goa has to offer. Remember Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor falling in love in Aashiqui 2 against the backdrop of the Panjim church. However, the film industry and the state have a bit of a quid pro quo situation. While Goa provides them beaches, the churches, the temples, and the landscapes (and consequentially, the hits), the film industry gives that push to our roaring tourist business.
ALSO READ: Goa is lucky for me: Rohit Shetty
HEARD OF THE SINGHAM FORT? "In Chennai Express, we shot at Dudhsagar, which Indian tourists were completely unaware of. Earlier only 300 jeeps would go up to this place, but after this location was shown in the film, the number of Indian tourists has increased exponentially and now there are 12,000 jeeps," says Shiva Baba Naik, line producer.
"It may sound funny but when tourists come down to Goa they'd ask for the Dil Chahta Hai fort. And I am like, 'what?' Then we explain that the film was shot at Chapora Fort. Another thing I have noticed is that, for instance, at Fort Aguada you will find a poster at the boat rides, that saysSingham Fort, because the film was shot there," says Newton Dias, a casting director.
"Similarly Murder 2 made the Three Kings Feast church in Cansualim famous, and St Jacinto Island's popular because of John Abraham's jumping off the bridge sequence in 'Dhoom', says Deepak Lobo, who is a writer and a director.
ALSO READ: Rohit Shetty dreams of a film city in Goa
THE NEW SHOOT LOCATIONS What's interesting is that many filmmakers are choosing to divert from the same old beach shot and explore the lesser known, more remote areas of Goa. For example, there's the ongoing Singham Returns shooting in Aldona. Deepika Padukone's Finding Fanny was shot on the Divar Island, on the road that leads to the village near the ferry that connects the Raibandar-Divar island. R Balki's film untitled film starring Amitabh Bachchan was shot at the new Calvim Cable Bridge. In the past, the Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor-starrer 'Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani' too was shot in the interiors of the state and made the Zuari Railway Bridge - where Katrina is seen on jet ski and then, climbing through a rope onto a the train - quite popular.
GOA'S BEAUTIFUL, BUT EXPENSIVE TO SHOOT HERE "Though Goa is an expensive destination to shoot, filmmakers still prefer to shoot here. There are five reasons. One is the landscape - the beautiful beaches, water bodies, waterfalls and mountains; two is the architecture - the churches, temples and houses; third's the ample amount of connectivity and transport - railways, roadways, airways, waterways, etc; fourth, the accommodation - there are dormitories, as well as five star hotels available for the film crew; and lastly, Goans are shooting-friendly and don't disturb the stars by mobbing them or asking for autographs and photographs. For example, if a girl wears bikini for a shoot, Goans don't bother them," says Lobo. He cites the example of what Shetty needed to do to make the Dudhsagar scene happen - "For this shoot, one needed permission from the ESG, the PAanchayat, the railways, the forest department, as well as the other concerned authorities. Therefore, not many would give a thought to this location."
"Why shooting here is expensive is only because the charges are increasing. To shoot a scene for a day in Panaji, the municipality takes one lakh. Add to that the additional charges of hiring a police force for security, accommodation, and transporting the film shooting equipments from Mumbai as it's hard to film equipment in Goa," says Dilip Borkar, another line producer.
And it's not just beaches that Goa has to offer. Remember Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor falling in love in Aashiqui 2 against the backdrop of the Panjim church. However, the film industry and the state have a bit of a quid pro quo situation. While Goa provides them beaches, the churches, the temples, and the landscapes (and consequentially, the hits), the film industry gives that push to our roaring tourist business.
ALSO READ: Goa is lucky for me: Rohit Shetty
HEARD OF THE SINGHAM FORT? "In Chennai Express, we shot at Dudhsagar, which Indian tourists were completely unaware of. Earlier only 300 jeeps would go up to this place, but after this location was shown in the film, the number of Indian tourists has increased exponentially and now there are 12,000 jeeps," says Shiva Baba Naik, line producer.
"It may sound funny but when tourists come down to Goa they'd ask for the Dil Chahta Hai fort. And I am like, 'what?' Then we explain that the film was shot at Chapora Fort. Another thing I have noticed is that, for instance, at Fort Aguada you will find a poster at the boat rides, that saysSingham Fort, because the film was shot there," says Newton Dias, a casting director.
"Similarly Murder 2 made the Three Kings Feast church in Cansualim famous, and St Jacinto Island's popular because of John Abraham's jumping off the bridge sequence in 'Dhoom', says Deepak Lobo, who is a writer and a director.
ALSO READ: Rohit Shetty dreams of a film city in Goa
THE NEW SHOOT LOCATIONS What's interesting is that many filmmakers are choosing to divert from the same old beach shot and explore the lesser known, more remote areas of Goa. For example, there's the ongoing Singham Returns shooting in Aldona. Deepika Padukone's Finding Fanny was shot on the Divar Island, on the road that leads to the village near the ferry that connects the Raibandar-Divar island. R Balki's film untitled film starring Amitabh Bachchan was shot at the new Calvim Cable Bridge. In the past, the Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor-starrer 'Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani' too was shot in the interiors of the state and made the Zuari Railway Bridge - where Katrina is seen on jet ski and then, climbing through a rope onto a the train - quite popular.
GOA'S BEAUTIFUL, BUT EXPENSIVE TO SHOOT HERE "Though Goa is an expensive destination to shoot, filmmakers still prefer to shoot here. There are five reasons. One is the landscape - the beautiful beaches, water bodies, waterfalls and mountains; two is the architecture - the churches, temples and houses; third's the ample amount of connectivity and transport - railways, roadways, airways, waterways, etc; fourth, the accommodation - there are dormitories, as well as five star hotels available for the film crew; and lastly, Goans are shooting-friendly and don't disturb the stars by mobbing them or asking for autographs and photographs. For example, if a girl wears bikini for a shoot, Goans don't bother them," says Lobo. He cites the example of what Shetty needed to do to make the Dudhsagar scene happen - "For this shoot, one needed permission from the ESG, the PAanchayat, the railways, the forest department, as well as the other concerned authorities. Therefore, not many would give a thought to this location."
"Why shooting here is expensive is only because the charges are increasing. To shoot a scene for a day in Panaji, the municipality takes one lakh. Add to that the additional charges of hiring a police force for security, accommodation, and transporting the film shooting equipments from Mumbai as it's hard to film equipment in Goa," says Dilip Borkar, another line producer.
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