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Haire mai

Sukanya Verma

Trees. Beaches. Rivers. Mountains. You name it, we've pretty much got it, right here.

So, pray tell, why does every single producer and director want to go abroad and shoot?

The Lord only knows. If you ask movie-makers, though, they give you a few reasons. Such as:

When you shoot abroad, matters such as crowd control, police facilities, etc, are much better organised, which means you do a lot more work in a lot less time.

When you shoot abroad, your stars are at your disposal, pretty much captive to your interests for the duration. In other words, if you were shooting in Bombay, you run the risk of the stars turning up at noon for a 6 am schedule and racing back home at 3 pm when your scheduled packup is for midnight. Whereas abroad, they are more amenable to working longer hours.

And so on.

Whatever be the reason, fact is that no film schedule these days is complete without a stint in some foreign locale. Yash Chopra -- who was among the early movers on this particular trend and whose films, of the order of Silsila, Chandini, Darr, Lamhe and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, all include extensive footage of shots canned around the Alps -- was in fact honoured by the Swiss government for his contribution to the Switzerland travel and tourism industry.

Other favourite destinations include the USA, England, South Africa, Germany, Paris, Japan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Canada, and, increasingly, New Zealand.

New Zealand has, from a film-making point of view, various pluses going for it. For one, the weather is, for the most part, pleasant. Bureaucracy is minimal, visas easy to obtain, red tape almost non-existent.

Film-makers, thus, have been increasingly making a beeline to the land of the kiwi, with Auckland and Wellington being favourite locations. Ramgopal Varma shot large portions of Daud and Mast there. Jackie Shroff's yet unreleased Grahan was extensively shot there. Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai showcased not only the beautiful snow-capped mountains, but also the lush landscapes, vibrant malls and discotheques.

Latest in the list is David Dhawan's Kunwara. And he has gone one better, with New Zealand playing a pivotal part in his storyline.

The film explores the urbanised lifestyle of the place, the characters acting out their story against the backdrop of the big city, with its ubiquitous McDonalds' and open air, footpath restaurants and all the rest of it.

See the film, and you will realise why the land of long clouds attracts movie-makers by the droves these days. And why producers are increasingly ready to respond positively to that country's Haire mai (welcome).

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The Kunwara review