Indian cinema, including Bollywood, has a huge following in SriLanka, with Hindi films being shown in theatres throughout the year, and at least one movie shown on local television almost every day. With normalcy prevailing in this country, people of this emerald island are now enjoying their favorite Hindi movies, and the SriLankan government is also encouraging Indian film-makers to shoot in their country.
SriLanka has got some beautiful scenic spots, lot of Hollywood movies have already been shot here, and slowly, Bollywood filmmakers are taking note of this island country. It also offers other advantages such as lower production costs compared to other countries.
Sri Lanka is home to some of the finest beaches in the world, and being so close to India, its definitely a must-visit destination if you’re a water baby.
Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez promotes Sri Lanka tourism
After the recent bomb blasts in Sri lanka, tourism in Sri Lanka has taken a hit.
Sri Lanka Tourism recently unveiled several special promotional packages for Indians with a guest appearance by Sri Lankan-born Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez in order to boost its tourism industry.
Jacqueline said despite the terror attacks, Sri Lanka is still a paradise isle and safe to travel to and urged the Indian tourists to visit the country. “Sri Lanka is absolutely safe to go back right now. And we really would love your support for Sri Lanka,” said Jacqueline.
Jacqueline Fernandez is originally from SriLanka. The Sri Lankan beauty who shot into the limelight with ‘Murder 2’ has also worked in a Sri Lankan Film named ‘According to Mathew’.
Bollywood Movies Shot in Sri Lanka
Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Agyaat’ was filmed extensively in the Sigiriya jungles. Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’ (John Abraham-Lisa Ray starrer) was shot just outside of Colombo.
Popular Bollywood movies shot in Sri Lanka include Jism 2, Ready, Sooryavansham, Agyaat, Water.
The war scenes in “Madras Cafe” were NOT shot in SriLanka, but were recreated in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Maanyata (Sanjay) Dutt’s beach holiday with kids in Sri Lanka
Maanyata Dutt has always been a pillar of strength for Sanjay Dutt, she also makes sure that she spends quality time with the two kids (in case Sanju Baba is busy with his shoots).
Maanyata loves beaches, which became apparent, when she posted pictures from her long holiday in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, Sanjay Dutt could not join them because of some professional reasons. But that did not deter Maanyata and their twins from having a blast.
Sri Lanka invites filmmakers to shoot at its filming locations
Several Bollywood and Hollywood movies have been filmed in Sri Lanka in the past, but the country wants to attract more filmmakers (from around the world).
Blessed with all the natural wonders (and diversity), captivating landscapes, representatives of Sri Lanka Tourism often attend International Film Tourism meets to showcase their scenic locations to filmmakers from across the world.
“Sri Lanka Tourism” even plans to organise location familiarisation tour programs for select high-profile film directors and producers from the Indian film industry (those are the perks of being a top filmmaker).
Another advantage that works in favour of Sri Lanka is that the country is located near to India, is well connected by flights (and sea). There are frequent flights from major Indian cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Trivandrum and New Delhi to Colombo.
Its easy to obtain the visas and necessary permissions (to shoot) in Sri Lanka, the locals are friendly, and many of them speak English (and Tamil).
Sri Lanka is also home to professionally managed film location service companies that are run by experienced film personalities — like Hollywood Director Chandran Rutnam and veteran actor Ravindra Randeniya. These companies not only have modern equipment but also trained hands with experience of working for European and Hollywood production teams.
Sri Lanka Tourism
Sri Lanka offers one of the best valued destination for holidays. Its tourism industry did take a nosedive because of its long internal conflict, however, after the end of the conflict in 2009, the tourism industry has again started booming.
Sri Lanka is an authentic tourism destination, the diversity of things to see is unparalleled, and the best part is that the island is compact allowing you to travel the length and breadth of the country within a few days.
- Marco Polo (explorer of the 12th century) wrote that Sri Lanka is the finest island in the whole world.
- Academy Award-winning “The Bridge on the River Kwai” was filmed in Kitulgala in Sri Lanka.
More about Sri Lanka:
- Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Administrative), Colombo (Commercial)
- Official languages: Sinhala, Tamil, Recognized (English is widely spoken)
- Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
- Drives on the: left
- Calling code: +94
