Bollywood films shot in London

VisitBritain Launches ‘Giant’ Tourism Campaign

VisitBritain, UK’s national tourism organisation, recently launched an international film tourism campaign with Disney, producer of The BFG (directed by Steven Spielberg). The movie has been shot at at locations across Britain including Blenheim Palace, London, the Isle of Skye and Bamburgh beach in Northumberland.

The tourism campaign named ‘Where Giant Dreams come to Life’ will showcase the top UK destinations that can be experienced on a trip to Britain, including Angel of the North, Big Ben, the Isle of Skye and the lions in Trafalgar Square.

VisitBritain Gets Bollywood to Showcase UK Locations: Saif to Be Brand Ambassador

To get more visitors to the UK, the country has launched a travel app named ‘Bollywood in Britain (BiB)’ that showcases all the popular locations/sights in the UK that have been features in popular Bollywood movies.

British tourism is not only going to showcase all the UK locations (used by Bollywood) to attract tourists, they’re also roping in Saif Ali Khan to be the ‘Face of Britain’.

Why Saif Ali Khan?
Because not only he belongs to Bollywood, he belongs to a royal family, and he had also studied in the UK. Besides, the actor-turned-producer Saif Ali Khan has also used UK as the prime location for many of his films.

There’s no doubt that Saif Ali Khan (and even his wife Kareena Kapoor) love Great Britain.

This is why the ‘Chhote Nawab’ has been signed by British tourism to be the brand ambassador for ‘Visit Britain’.

In this role, Saif will be seen promoting various exotic locations in the UK. The promotional campaign will include several locations like London, Oxford, Cardiff which are popular with Indian tourists.

British Tourism to Leverage Bollywood

An initiative by The national tourism agency (VisitBritain), it features several locations including Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and the London Eye that have been shown in famous Indian films (Dilwale Dulhaniya le jayenge, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Namaste London, Housefull and more).

India has a digitally savvy, young population, with one of the highest internet usage and smartphone penetrations in the world, and with more people spending on travel, this seems to be a good marketing campaign designed by VisitBritain. In addition to its Indian initiative, VisitBritain is also focusing on the lucrative Chinese market.

The ‘Bollywood in Britain (BiB)’ app – available to Android and iOS users – comes with all the information you need to create your own blockbuster-themed holiday in Britain, including a Bollywood treasure hunt.

So in case you’re planning to visit Britain, make sure you access this travel app and visit the various places to relive those beautiful moments shown in our Bollywood classics.

Also Read:

• Bollywood films shot in England
• Bollywood films shot in Scotland
• Bollywood films shot in Ireland
• Bollywood films shot in Wales

Is Bollywood bored of London? Blame it on the weakening ‘India-UK’ cultural bond

Harsher visa rules, Brexit, and Bollywood’s preference for locations outside the UK suggests UK’s perception among modern Indians is fast changing (London, and the UK, seem to be losing its importance).

British Prime Minister Theresa May made her first post-Brexit diplomatic trip to India (dressed in a sari, she was pictured walking through the temples of New Delhi barefoot) to indicate that Britain was “open for business”.

But several business back in the UK feel much needs to be done, if Britain’s relationship with India is to thrive. However, with the western world opting for stricter immigration rules, things do not look bright.

Those in the curry business in the UK were disappointed with Theresa May’s visit to India, as they feel she did nothing to boost the curry business (worth more than 4bn pounds annually). Most restaurants need to hire cooks and staff from South Asia, which has become increasingly difficult thanks to tighter visa restrictions in recent times. Hundreds of restaurants have closed in recent months.

British universities attracts hundreds of Indian students every year, but even their numbers have gone down (by almost fifty percent). University of Sheffield vice-chancellor says Britain’s visa policy towards Indian students was “insulting” and had resulted in the decline. With more universities in the EU keen to attract talented Indian students (looking to take advantage of Britain’s Brexit woes), the gap will only widen in the future.

Back home in India, people have become more ambitious and ready to explore newer opportunities (a wider cultural trend is taking place in India). If Indians find better opportunities elsewhere, they’re willing to give it a shot.

The same goes for Bollywood films as well.

For long, UK has played a significant role in Bollywood films, with London being depicted as a land of hope and dreams for most Indians (films like Purab Aur Paschim, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, hit Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham have been shot in London/UK).

In recent years, however, Bollywood has been filming in places like Australia, East Europe, Middle East. These places offer attractive locations (with rebates), better infrastructure, and its easier to get the visas.

As a more confident India continues to grow, young Indians are keen to forge new partnerships with the rest of the world, while an inward-looking UK might be becoming less important to modern Indians than it used to be.

Source: newstatesman.com