Bollywood’s Lifelong Love Affair with Goa

The sea, the sand and the shining sun. The people, the parties and the free spirit that the place brings out in you is really incomparable to anything else. Goa is forever beautiful. Writers, musicians, artists and everyone in between find the peace in Goa enchanting and healing. It is probably true, especially for people leading city lives where things are cluttered, noisy, chaotic and the mind, body and soul yearns for a touch of nature. Goa is perfect. Even when people talk about commercialization and how things are going downhill, the magic that Goa has and Bollywood’s affair with it will always be evergreen. Has it been the most favoured shoot location in B-town?

Saat Hindustani

KA Abbas’ National-award Winner is all about Goa. The story revolves around seven people from different parts of India, coming together and fighting to free Goa from the Portuguese. This is one of those movies that gave Amitabh Bachchan a gem of a debut and an amazing break. His journey began here; a journey that he still fondly remembers and talks about. It is supposed to have been shot on a very restrained budget and the actors, according to popular media, travelled on a train, stayed in forests, slept in one room until they arrived in Panjim. It is a truly nationalistic film and had the critics and the audience raving about it.

Bombay To Goa

Many movie stars from the 60s have a very special place for Goa because it was a different place then. It was a part of India but still felt like it wasn’t part of this country. Amitabh Bachchan was one such actor who always talks about his connection to Goa. The main theme of Bombay to Goa was the travel to Goa on a bus and this definitely did become a trend among people back then. A hilarious film comprising a bus full of characters (all funny of course), all travelling to Goa. After this film was released, people took the bus to Goa all in the name of the movie. It was a lot of fun to see people from different backgrounds, with different stories, all having a common destination – Goa and the film unravelling right in front you, with all the characters.

Bobby

This Raj Kapoor film starring a young and sexy Dimple Kapadia and a charismatic Rishi Kapoor made waves in the Bollywood film industry. It consciously kept away from the kind of movies that were coming out at the time. There was an influx of international music, youth culture and fashion emulating the West in India. The film took some of that sentiment. It was Kapoor’s attempt at capturing the change that was sweeping America and Europe. A modern love story of two teenagers. The Catholic setting and characters etched from Goan families were the perfect backdrop for a film like Bobby. Goa shines through Dimple Kapadia’s way of dressing, her attitude and the time that the film is set in. No other place than Goa would have done justice to this story.

Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa

Kundan Shah’s Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is a love story based in Goa. Centered around Goan characters and really bringing out the real Goa in the background, this one shines for all the right reasons. The ferry scene in the film where Shahrukh is singing “Anna Mere Pyaar….” is shot in a ferry for the most part and stays true to the energy that Goa reflects. The shots at Colva beach when Shahrukh gets his final exam results to the shot where he is playing a sad tune and the gangster Anthony comes to him, are shot against authentic beautiful Goan landscape.

Khamoshi – The Muscial

A very emotional and heart-breaking love story was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut movie. Starring Manisha Koirala and Salman Khan, this is set in Goa portraying a proper Goan family. Salman Khan’s rare and sensitive performance got praises and Manisha’s parents played by Seema Biswas and Nana Patekar in a deaf-mute family situation shine throughout the film. The film was almost entirely shot in Goa. The sea made for a powerful background in this emotionally driven drama.

Go Goa Gone

This film was apparently mostly shot in Mauritius even though the title projected the shooting location as Goa. This film was partly shot on the beaches of Goa and is instrumental in introducing people to the zombie genre in Hindi cinema. Although Bollywood’s heart lies in Mumbai, Goa is a beautiful mistress that B-town cannot get enough of. The beaches that attract tourists from all over the world and are on the must-visit list of travelers make Goa a tourist delight. Go Goa Gone is among the recent films that has made Goa central to its theme.

Finding Fanny

Other than Arjun Kapoor’s look in the film, Finding Fanny had the critic’s raving about the cinematography and the performances. The other success element we think is that the shoot location seemed just perfect. It’s a satiric film in both English and Hindi to cater to audiences in the West and in India. The Goan influence flows through the film reflecting in the obvious such as names and costumes but also catching the subtle nuances which is a unique quality to Homi Adajania’s style of storytelling. He tactfully captures the Goan-style community essence through the movie that feels completely authentic. The tourism department partnered with the film as a part of their brand activation campaign; the plan being to make people aware of the tourist department’s new strategy of promoting the state.

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