Malshej Ghats is a scenic hill station located around 140 kilometres from Mumbai. Its one of the most beautiful spots around Mumbai, with several waterfalls & breathtaking views (its around 700m above sea level). Surprisingly several Mumbaikar’s have never been to this place before (for them Lonavla/Khandala is still the best place, which is not true).
Such is the beauty of Malshej Ghat that even Mani Ratnam chose to shoot parts of his film here.
Movies shot at Malshej Ghats
A substantial portion, including the climax, of Mani Ratnam’s Raavan (Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, cinematographer Santosh Sivan) was shot at Malshej Ghat.
The “O Bekhabar” song of ‘Action Replayy’ (Aishwarya Rai & Akshay Kumar) was also shot at the picturesque Malshej Ghat.
When asked about the differences in shooting experience at the same location, Aishwarya said that ‘Action Replayy’ was shot at different time of the year and in different weather condition which changed the whole look of the place.
“At the same location, I was doing very severe, very strong, very demanding, as in drenched in the rain, tied to the tree; being physically put through very, very tough conditions in Raavan at the same place”, Said Aishwarya.
Several scenes of Tees Maar Khan (starring Akshay Jumar & katrina Kaif, directed by Farah Khan) were also shot at Malshej ghat. One of the songs ‘Bade Dilwala’ where Katrina wears Ghagra Choli was also filmed here.
Top Cinematographer Santosh Sivan’s upcoming trilingual film ‘Urmi’ also had several scenes that were filmed in remote area near Malshej Ghat.
Kadanam Kadanam song from Urmi, shot at Malshej Ghat.
Katrina Kaif Collapses at Malshej Ghat
While shooting on the sets of Tees Maar Khan at Malshej Ghat, Katrina had collapsed after greeting her co-star Akshay Kumar and director Farah Khan.
But there was nothing to worry about, as the doctor said that the sudden collapse was due to over-work and lack of sleep. All was well in the end as Katrina resumed shooting after taking some rest.
More About Malshej Ghats
Malshej ghat is situated in Pune district, near the borders of Thane and Ahmednagar districts, and is around 155 km from south Mumbai; its around 4 hours drive from Andheri.
The place is also popular to watch Flamingos, besides being a heaven for tourists, trekkers, rock climbers and trekkers.
Shivneri Fort (Birth place of Shivaji) is located around 20km from Malshej Ghat, and is a must-watch if you’re in that area.
So if you live in Mumbai or Pune and have never been to this place, make sure you plan it right away; its a majestic place all year around, especially in the monsoon. If you intend to visit the place, try going on one of the weekdays (instead of the week-end) if possible; you can have the entire place to yourself…well, almost.
With the place attracting not just Bollywood film-makers, but even the top South Indian directors, if you have not been to the Malshej Ghats, you’re surely missing out on something really great.
