When you talk about Brazil, the thing that comes to the mind is Football & Pele, and also of course samba music and the hot supermodels. But its also actually a holiday paradise, with sun-kissed beaches, a carefree spirit, beautiful people & locations.
Not many people here in India are aware, but a few Bollywood films have been shot in Brazil.
And it wasn’t the Rajni-starrer Endhiran (Robot) that was shot here first (though it has some spectacular scenes), Yashraj films ‘Dhoom 2’ had a song that was picturised in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
With the FIFA World Cup coming up in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016, Brazil is only going to attract more attention in the coming few months.
Movies Shot in Brazil
Prominent Indian movies shot in this south-american country include: Dhoom 2 & Robot (Endhiran).
Recall seeing these locations?
Christ The Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (Song: Excuse Me To Please in Dhoom 2)
Lencois Maranhenses, Maranhao in Brazil (Song: Sana Sana Tu Hi Bata in Robot (Endhiran)
Indo-Brazilian Exchange
Several Brazilian actresses and models like Izabelle Leite, Bruna Abdullah, Giselli Monteiro, Gabriela Bertante, Nathalia Pinheiro, Mariah Gomes have already worked in Bollywood.
Perhaps, it was ‘Dhoom 2’ that was shot in cities like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo that made the Brazilians sit up and take notice of India.
There was also an extremely popular Indian themed Brazilian serial called ‘Camin das Indias’ (Road to India), which could also be the reason for the renewed interest in the ‘cultural exchange’ between these two countries. This soap opera has several Hindi phrases thrown into Portuguese dialogues, which has piqued Brazilians’ interest in India (that was little-known here before) and has in fact sparked a mini India boom in Brazil.
Brazil Tourism
Brazil is the largest country in Latin America, and one of the world’s most captivating places. The official language of this south-american country is Portuguese, but their accent is quite different from what you hear in Portugal and other former Portuguese colonies.
The Indian tourist today is much more keen to explore newer places, and Brazil is definitely a country that many would want to visit. And believe me, even though India is not known as a Footballing nation, there’s actually a huge following for the beautiful game.
Top Tourist Attractions in Brazil:
- Christ the Redeemer – Famous statue of Jesus Christ located in Rio de Janeiro, it provides a sweeping panorama of the city and surrounding places.
- Iguazu Falls – Located on the border between Brazil and Argentina, there are around 275 falls along the Iguazu River
- Amazon River – Second longest river in the world (slightly shorter than the Nile) but the largest river by volume
- Rio Carnival – Biggest and the most famous carnival, it attracts two million people per day on the streets and almost half a million foreigners during its 4 day celebration
- Pantanal – World’s largest wetland, extending into Bolivia and Paraguay as well, famous for its wildlife
- Salvador Beaches – Attractive colonial town, vibrant musical scene and exceptional beaches all around.
- Historic Center of Olinda – Well preserved colonial city, on the Brazil’s northeastern coast, just north of Recife.
- Fernando de Noronha – archipelago with pristine beaches, landscapes and wildlife, located around 220 miles off the northeastern coast in Brazil
- Teatro Amazonas (Amazon Theatre) – Ppera house located in Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest
- Ouro Preto – One of Brazil’s best-preserved colonial towns
