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Iceland, the land of Fire and Ice, is wooing Indian film industry

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Iceland is a country that never ceases to amaze – the natural beauty of the country is an adventure in itself, with volcanic craters, lava flows, hot springs and geysers, glaciers and stunning waterfalls offering a new view around every corner.

Iceland Welcomes With Open Arms

The Nordic island is famous for Europe’s largest glacier and some of the world’s most active volcanoes. After SRK’s Dilwale was filmed here, the country wants more Indian tourists & filmmakers to explore its picturesque locations.

Iceland offers 20 per cent rebate to foreign productions that shoot movies and TV programmes in Iceland (likely to be increased to 25 per cent next year).

Iceland also has a vibrant film industry that could provide crews, equipment and assist in finding locations for Indian films.

Tourism is the largest foreign exchange earner for Iceland.

Soundarya Rajinikanth and Vishagan Vanangamudi in Iceland for their honeymoon
Soundarya Rajinikanth in Iceland

Dilwale Team Films Song in Iceland

Rohit Shetty’s ‘Dilwale’ (with SRK & Kajol) has a song that was shot entirely in Iceland (whereas most of the film has been shot in Bulgaria.)

Gerua Song in Iceland
Ace choreographer-director Farah Khan choreographed the romantic number ‘Gerua’.

Before the song was shot, the instructions given to the choreographer and the location scout was that the song Gerua should match the scales and should be able to create the magic that SRK and Kajol created in the song ‘Suraj Hua Madham’

The song had to be “bigger than anything that we have ever seen,” reported one of the crew.

That is when Natarajan Ramji, better known as the ‘location guru’ in film circles, suggested the crew to shoot in Iceland.

Dilwale song scenes that were filmed in Iceland

Says Ramji, “I’m sure Shah Rukh Khan’s (SRK) fans wouldn’t be too keen to hear this, but we shot ‘Gerua’ near an active volcano. An eruption has been overdue for the past five years in Mt. Hekla; it could have happened at any time…even when I was shooting there with SRK. But these are the lengths one needs to go to, when trying to recreate the magic of ‘Suraj Hua Madham’.”

WATCH: Gerua song from Dilwale (Shah Rukh Khan | Kajol) that was shot in Iceland

Trivia…from Iceland

bollywood in Iceland

  • Gets really cold: The song ‘Rang de tu…’ is surely a visual treat and was shot at various locations. The iceberg scene, in particular, was difficult for the crew to shoot. But it was extremely cold at the location. After the scene, you could see the cast covered with more than three blankets and an overcoat.

    Also Read: Farah Khan reveals her secret to beat the Icelandic cold

  • The aircraft scene: In the Gerua song you see SRK on top of an aircraft that is perched on the ground. SRK narrated the story behind the stranded plane. “Long, long ago, a plane had to make an emergency landing near the sea and no one from the plane was dead or injured. Fortunately, the landing was safe and the captain of the plane was lauded for his presence of mind. The plane has not moved since then, and now the place is treated like a museum,” shared Shahrukh Khan.
  • The water scene: Another scene worth mentioning is the water scene, where SRK and Kajol are seen standing at the centre with nothing beside them. Director Rohit Shetty shot those scenes from a helicopter so that only the actors and the water could be seen in the scene. Same was done for the iceberg scenes.

    The Crew Were Excited

    Everybody was excited to be in Iceland, and its noticeable from their tweets. Here are few of them.

    Here are some tweets by SRK from Iceland.

    Kareena & Saif to Holiday in Iceland

    You can expect more and more Bollywood celebrities to go to Iceland in the future to spend their holidays, as even our stars want to try out newer locations and don’t want to go to their regular destinations all the time.

    Kareena Kapoor Khan & hubby Saif Ali Khan are ardent travelers and have explored several locations together. This time, on the eve of Kareena’s birthday (Sept 21st), Kareena Kapoor Khan decided to take her husband Saif Ali Khan on a vacation. And the location that was chosen was Northern Lights in Iceland.

    By going to Iceland, Bebo is diverting from her favourite destinations – London and New York – and choosing a more offbeat trip this time. Kareena said, “We’re planning to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. Spending quality time is so important in a profession like ours, where we’re constantly apart.”

    Aamir Khan Holidays in Iceland

    Aamir Khan holidays in Iceland Aamir Khan’s back from a rejuvenating holiday in Iceland, and the interesting thing is that he went there alone.

    But why Iceland of all the places?

    Aamir picked Iceland off the globe, because he was looking for some privacy and anonymity.

    “I went to Hawaii earlier and learnt surfing. In Iceland, I could walk on the streets, go into a shop for a burger, skate, ski and go snorkeling in sub-zero temperature without being recognized. Once in a while I want to lead a normal life which I can’t do in India,” he said.

    More Visitors from UK Travelling to Iceland

    IcelandMore and more British visitors are travelling to Iceland on vacation. Experts said a number of reasons may have caused the huge jump in numbers, but many believe the primary factor was NASA’s forecast that conditions for viewing the Northern Lights this winter would be the best they’ve been for half a century.


    From late August until mid-April, the spectacular northern lights can often be observed.


    Iceland is among the most popular destinations for tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the ‘Aurora Borealis’ (natural light display in the sky, particularly in the high latitude regions.)

    Iceland tourism managers are obviously delighted and are happy that tourists were discovering the country during the winter months and not just the summer ones.

    Iceland is just a two-and-a-half hour flight from the UK, with several airlines offering a direct service.


    Here’s an entertaining and informative documentary on the natural gems of Iceland.

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