Women in the rice paddies, Sri Lanka. Photo VDuBourdieu 2009.
A 30 day shoot with Salman Khan and Asin is in progress in Sri Lanka.
The world famous Indian actor and celebrity, Salman Khan, and South Indian actress, Asin, began shooting in Sri Lanka this week for their movie Ready.
Hot on the heels of the Indian International Film Academy Awards (IIFA), which ended in June in Colombo, Sri Lanka, has become one of the top favourite locations for Bollywood films.
After visiting Sri Lanka, Salman Khan, one of the A- list stars who attended the event, asked to change the location of his next film from Mauritius to Sri Lanka.
The film also stars Paresh Rawal, and will be filmed over 30 days in major locations in and around Colombo. Up to 60% of the movie will showcase Sri Lanka.
The first day of shooting was celebrated with pomp, pageantry, and small miracles.
In a move endorsed by the President, HE Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s own miracle Doctor, Eliyantha White, will now treat all visiting Bollywood celebrities free of charge.
The producers of the movie, Rajat Rawail and Kishan Kumar, said: “Sri Lanka as a destination offers so much scope for film makers.
View from Taj Samudra, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photo VDuBourdieu 2009.
“The locations are breathtaking, food exquisite, the people incredibly warm and hospitable. It’s an exciting period in the cinematic history of Sri Lanka, and we are happy to be pioneering this movement in partnership with Sri Lanka Tourism.”
About 140 Indian crew arrived in Sri Lanka for the shoot, and are staying at the Taj Samudra, in Colombo.
Area Director, and General Manager of the Taj Samudra, Vimal Seth, said: “The Taj group has a legacy of serving persons of great importance from Stars of Bollywood to Heads of State.
Taj Indian Restaurant, Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photo VDuBourdieu 2009
“We are proud to host Salman Khan and the movie cast and crew at the Hotel. It is our endeavour to ensure a truly comfortable stay for them”.
According to a survey carried out by the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry federation, FICCI, 2.8 billion people watch a Hindi blockbuster in the first week of its release. Some 4.8 billion people worldwide watch the film within the first 15 days of its release.
The movie will be released in July 2011, and will premiere in Sri Lanka as well as India.
Related Stories:
