Most Indians know Mexico as a football crazy nation, although Brazil is the more favored team when it comes to football. However, despite being a big country with a booming economy and its proximity to USA, there hasn’t been much interaction between Bollywood & Mexico.
Even Mexico, on its part, couldn’t gauge the potential of the Indian film market and had stayed away from the Indian film industry for a long time, until now.
Indian Films to Be Shot in Mexico
And it was NOT the movie ‘Kites’ (featuring Mexican actress Barbara Mori) that made the Mexican authorities take notice of the Indian film industry, it was a movie from the South (Tamil film).
The trend appears to have been set by the Tamil film industry. It was during the shooting of Tamil hero Vikram’s much-hyped “Kanthaswamy” in Mexico that the authorities woke up to the scope of the Indian market.
“Kanthaswamy” (starring Vikram) was the first Indian film to be shot in Mexico, and that’s when the Mexican authorities realized that the Indian film industry was waiting to be tapped.
At least 75-85 percent of Mexican economy is dependant on the US market, because of its proximity to the US. However, the ruling authorities are keen to diversify and have identified India as one of the countries they can work with.
Mexico Tourism
Mexico Pays $20 million to Look Good in Next Bond Movie
Several Hollywood Films have been filmed in Mexico, but most of them have projected the country in a bad light (after all Mexico is infamous for its drug cartels).
The new bond movie (with a budget of around $300 million) will get subsidies/sponsorship worth up to $20 million from Mexico, so that the movie depicts the positive aspects of the Mexican culture, rather than its underworld and drug dealings.
Here are some of the changes suggested by Mexico, for which its coughing up the money:
Highlight the “modern Mexico City buildings”
Have a non-Mexican villain
Depict the Mexican police as a “special force.”
They also demanded a Mexican Bond girl.
Ioan Grillo, an expert on Mexico’s drug wars, however believes it won’t help significantly. “The government has been struggling to change Mexico’s international image to attract more investment and tourism, so these changes it asked for in the movie are not surprising. It might help to improve Mexico’s image a little, but if the government really wants a better image, it needs to change the reality and stop mass disappearances and massacres.”
Mel Gibson directed APOCALYPTO was shot extensively in Mexico.
Mexican Actress in Bollywood
Bollywood movie ‘KITES’, starring heartthrob Hrithik Roshan had Mexican actress ‘Barbara Mori’ as the lead actress. Although many think that several scenes from the movie were filmed in Mexico, they were actually filmed in ‘New Mexico’, which is in the United States of America.
Post the movie, Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori were in a relationship, which eventually led to the divorce of Hrithik Roshan with wife Sussanne Khan.
Also read: Hrithik Roshan holidays with sons, without wife Sussanne
Mexico Tourism
Tourism in Mexico is a huge industry, and the country happens to be among the most visited countries in the world. Popular attractions are the Meso-American ruins, cultural festivals, colonial cities, nature reserves and the beach resorts.
Mexico Tourism
