In recent years, Bollywood has gained a lot of popularity in Holland. Our films are played at regular theatres, Bollywood gets a mention in several Dutch magazines, and several festivals bring in Bollywood entertainment.
And its not that only Turkish, Moroccan, Afghani and Pakistani people are interested in Bollywood films (as used to be the case earlier), even the Dutch community is developing keen interest in its glitter and glamour, and of course in Bollywood dancing.
And some of the credit for this development definitely goes to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (winner at the Oscars). Though it was not an Indian film, it did make India popular in Holland.
Queen Rocks Amsterdam
There are several Asha Bhosle songs from the seventies that are still played in clubs and are quite popular with the young crowd, although the “Hungama Ho Gaya” number was not among them, till now. And the courtesy for this songs craze definitely goes to the movie ‘Queen’ (starring Kangna Ranaut).
In the movie ‘Queen’, this song was picturized in a local club in Amsterdam called NL. It was the very first time a Bollywood song was played in the club, and if sources are to be believed, the song has created a riot of sorts in Amsterdam.
After the shoot of this song, the club even hosted its first ever Bollywood party, thanks to the demand for Hindi tracks, with the DJ spinning his own version of Hungama Ho Gaya, which is now being used in the end credits of the film.
The song ‘Gujariya’ was also shot in Amsterdam (at various locations); as part of the shooting, Kangna also visited the red light district.
Bollywood Movies Shot in Netherlands
Netherlands is another beautiful country in Europe, where the evergreen song ‘Dekha ek khwab’ featuring Amitabh Bachchan & Rekha from the Yash Chopra film ‘Silsila’ was shot.
Keukenhof (Kitchen garden) is also known as the Garden of Europe, and is situated near Lisse, Netherlands, and is the world’s largest flower garden. Several hit Bollywood & other Indian songs have been shot here.
Is Holland & Netherlands the same? Holland is a region (and former province) located on the western coast of the Netherlands. Nowadays, the term ‘Holland’ is also used frequently to refer to the whole country.
Bollywood movies shot in Netherlands include Silsila, Prem Rog, Coolie Number 1, Hello Brother, & Hum Tum
The movie ‘Hum Tum’ featured locations such as the Amsterdam Royal Palace, Aran Pub, Concertgebouw, Museumplein, Hard Rock Cafe in/around Amsterdam.
Here are popular songs that have been shot here (you can’t help but notice the garden):
Teri Chunariya from Hello Brother
Kumaari song from Aparichit (Anniyan)
Other songs that have been shot in Netherlands include Bhanwre Ne Khilaya song from Prem Rog, and Hum Apne Gham Ko from ‘The Gentleman’.
Song – Ladki Kyu Na Jane Kyo from ‘Hum Tum’ shows the Amsterdam Royal Palace (Dam Square) & Aran Pub in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Apparently, the film producers were so fond of Amsterdam that they even shot scenes there, that were earlier supposed to take place in Paris and New York’s Central Park!
Bollywood Craze in the Netherlands
Its true that more and more dutch people have started enjoying Indian films, and one of the main reasons for that is the way ‘families’ are portrayed. Despite being a very liberal country, it seems even the Dutch value ‘family values’ a lot. They also love Bollywood dancing — the movements, the expressions, the costumes. Corner shops that sell Bollywood DVDs are witnessing a steady increase in the number of ‘white Bollywood fans’.
Even our Indian celebrities have taken a note of this, and big names such as Sonu Nigam, Shreya Goshal, Atif Aslam, Kailash Kher, & Rahat Fateh Ali have all performed at least once in this country, and the scenario is only going to get better in the future.
Even Shah Rukh Khan (and co-stars) have performed here, as part of Temptation Reloaded 2008 that was held in the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam/NL.
Amsterdam’s Oosterpark looks set to transform into Little India once again in 2014 as it hosts Bollywood at the Park: a free outdoor festival presenting top films from Bollywood, India’s Hollywood counterpart, alongside activities, snacks and music. Whether trying out yoga or learning the latest Bollywood dance moves, the festival offers something for everyone.
Bollywood in Amsterdam from Peter Wollring on Vimeo.
By the way, did you know that Dutch actress ‘Sippora Zoutewelle’ is here in India and has taken the TV route to make her debut in Indian showbiz? Hailing from Culemborg, a small city in Holland, Sippora is making her debut with Sahara One’s new show “Firangi Bahu”, in which she will play a daughter-in-law in an Indian family.
Netherlands Tourism
Did you know that the Netherlands is actually a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of twelve provinces in North-West Europe and three islands in the Caribbean?
Capital: Amsterdam
Dialing code: 31
Currency: Euro
Official language: Dutch Language
Top 10 Things to Do in Amsterdam.
- Take a Canal Tour
- Explore Dutch Art – see thousands of invaluable masterworks across the scope of Dutch art history
- Stop and smell the flowers at Keukenhof, the world-famous bulb flower park in Lisse
- Explore De Wallen, Amsterdam’s red light district
- Get on a Bicycle, just about everyone cycles in Amsterdam
- Get out of Town, its effortless to travel between cities and towns in the Netherlands.
- Experience the Cannabis (weed or hash) Coffeeshop Culture, where you can even have a cup of coffee, or sometimes even have a full post-smoke meal.
Checkout this video of Destination Netherlands.
