Indian film industry has always had a comfortable (& historic) relationship with Mauritius. Almost close to a couple of hundred Indian films, commercials and television serials have been shot in Mauritius since 1977, who have captured the natural beauty here comprising of beaches, mountains and plains coupled with modern architecture.
Indian movies are extremely popular here in Mauritius – often referred to as ‘Mini India’ because of the vast similarities in culture between the two countries, and also because people of Indian origin are a majority here.
This place is also quite popular for travelers because of its beaches and also because its located in the southern hemisphere island (gets cooler when its summer in India).
Bollywood Movies Shot in Mauritius
Mauritius has a huge Indian population and Indian stars are very popular in Mauritius.
You would be surprised to hear that the official language of Mauritius is Bhojpuri and several Bhojpuri films have also been shot here. Several Pakistani serials and South Indian films have also been shot in the island country.
Several Bollywood movies shot in Mauritius, the more popular ones include:
Go Goa Gone, FALTU, Chasme Baddoor,
Josh, No Entry, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge, Duplicate, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Kidnap, Break Ke Baad, Phir Se, Kya Yehi Pyar Hai, Sorry Bhai.
‘Souten’ (blockbuster in the 1980s) & Karan Johar’s ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hein’ (in late 90s) were also shot here.
Recently, Humshakals (directed by Sajid Khan and starring Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh & Ram Kapoor) was shot here.
The first Indian film shot in Mauritius was Sanjay Khan’s “Chandi Sona” (way back in the 1970s), after which several movies have been shot here.
But the Rajesh Khanna starrer ‘Souten’ was the movie that gave Mauritius the much-deserved publicity, for other filmmakers to come to this region to shoot their films.
In the movie ‘Souten’, the house that featured prominently belonged to the then Prime minister of Mauritius. Rajesh Khanna was quite impressed with the bungalow and made several changes in his own bungalow ‘Ashirwad’ once he was back from Mauritius.
Here are pictures from other Bollywood movies shot here.
Crystal Rock, Mauritius (‘Hai mera dil’ song from ‘Josh’)
Go Goa Gone Scenes
Mauritius Wooing Bollywood Big Time
Mauritius already features high in the list of locations where Indian films could be shot, and this number is expected to go even higher as Mauritius recently launched a special rebate scheme to attract film-makers, especially from Bollywood, to shoot in the picturesque island nation.
This scheme (with a rebate/refund of 30%) puts Mauritius at-par with other destinations like Malaysia and Abu-Dhabi which offer a 30% rebate. This scheme will also cover high-end TV commercials and documentaries.
The scheme is expected to generate local employment for people with a range of skills, and will also be beneficial to other sectors such as tourism, trade, travel, transport and retail.
Big names such as Yashraj Films are keen to avail of this opportunity and are waiting for the right script before they can begin shooting here.
Jackie Shroff feels that Mauritius should also start producing movies. He recommends that the Mauritian government should setup a specialized film school offering courses on film-making, script-writing and editing, as well as crash courses on film-making.
Bipasha Basu seen relaxed on a hammock during her recent trip to Mauritius.
Mauritius & Goa
Goa has some similarities with Mauritius when it comes to the locations (especially the beaches) and even the locals there look like Indians.
Most filmmakers try to take advantage of this fact; they shoot at one location and ‘pass it off’ as another location in the actual film/video/serial.
There are some Bollywood movies that have been shot in Mauritius, but has been shown as Goa in the movie (of course the credits were given in the movie).
‘Go Goa Gone’ (Bollywood’s first zombie movie) was actually shot partly in Goa & partly in Mauritius, whereas most think that it was shot entirely in Goa.
The movie ‘FALTU’ was shot in the premises of the ‘University of Mauritius’, but was temporarily transformed and renamed for the movie’s shooting.
It also works the other way round; there are several low budget movies & videos that are shot in Goa and is depicted as Mauritius.
Mauritius Tourism
Tourism is an important part of the Mauritian economy and a a significant source of foreign exchange revenues. Tourists love Mauritius for its natural beauty and man-made attractions, tropical climate, beautiful beaches and water sports.
Capital: Port Louis
Currency: Mauritian rupee
Dialing code: 230
Languages spoken: English and French
From India, its a six-hour flight to this country and costs around Rs 50,000 (return trip). But the better thing is that because its located in the the southern hemisphere, it experiences winter (with temperatures ranging between 18 to 24 degree celsius) when its summer in India.
Here are some more reasons to love this place that is so much-loved by our Bollywood celebrities.
With a coastline stretching to 330 km and over 160 beaches to its credit, there’s something for everyone. La Cuvette, Grand Bay Public Beach are the more popular ones with tourists.
Belle Mare Plage on the east coast is perfect for swimming and other water activities such as snorkeling & diving. You can even do the undersea walk (which lasts an hour) or deep sea diving (which will take you the first half of the day and require pool training before you take the plunge).
The Coloured Earth of Chamarel (scenic two-hour drive from Port Louis) is also a popular tourist attraction. Nearing Chamarel, the small stretch of sand dunes reflect seven colors — red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow. Best time of the day to visit this place is during sunrise when the colors are seen distinctly.
Checkout this video of Destination Mauritius.
