How Movie Names Have Taught Us Geography From Time To Time

Geography has always played an important role in Bollywood. We've seen everything, from utilising picturesque spots as backgrounds to stealing names from places. It might be a passing craze or an attempt to pique the audience's interest, or it could symbolise the film on several levels.

Many Bollywood films have time and again named their films on the names of cities, towns, and even specific localities of bigger cities. Some films are entirely dedicated to a place's customs, inhabitants, and way of life. While others use the name of a place to indicate something that’s shown in the film.

Whatever the cause be, we have a long list of location-inspired movie titles. Here are a few examples:

‘Go Goa Gone’

Goa is a lovely state with beaches, cathedrals, forts, temples, casinos, and cruises. It has something for everyone, which is why it is a popular setting for many directors. The magnificent nightlife of Goa entices everyone, as depicted in the film ‘Go Goa Gone’. This was the first time in an Indian movie where zombies were shown but with a comical feel to it. The plot revolves around three buddies who were invited to a rave party hosted by the Russian mafia.

‘1920 London’

The 1920 London film was shot in London and Rajasthan, where certain locations are said to be haunted. Both Rajasthan and London have countless spirit stories in specific areas. The most haunted spot in India is Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan, where visitors are not permitted to walk after nightfall. Similarly, the Tower of London is thought to be haunted. This tower is said to be haunted due to numerous ghost stories. This film catches both of these areas in order to create a frightening atmosphere.

‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai’ and ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara’

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai was shot entirely in Mumbai to get a truly gorgeous impression. The film sequences, like as the song "Pee Loon," were shot at Worli's Haji Ali Dargah, while the Young Sultan's office is in Bhaucha Dhakka. Other filming locations were Eros Cinema and Ballard Estate. The entire film was given a retro-chic makeover to depict the 1970s era. If you've ever gone to Mumbai, you'll recognise the location.

‘Chennai Express’

This film contains several gorgeous shots of South India. This film's serious parts were shot at Mahabaleshwar, Kerala, Meesampulimala, and other locations in South India. This film's automobile drowning sequence was shot in Devikulam Lake, while Shah Rukh's scene of lifting Deepika was shot at Vattamalai Murugan Temple. Overall, the film captures the true beauty of South India in a powerful way.

‘Delhi Belly’

Delhi Belly was filmed at Pitampura and Kapeshera, with some sequences set in Old Delhi. This city is usually visited by filmmakers and their entire crew to film some outstanding sequences. This film depicts a very different vision of Delhi, with the primary players living a debt-ridden existence in a sleazy flat in the city.

‘Ishkq In Paris’

Ishq in Paris is an Indian love film shot primarily in Europe. The majority of the sequences were shot in France (mostly in Paris and Lyon), with a few brief shots in Prague. It was the first film to be shot within the Eiffel Tower. Aside from that, certain sequences were shot in India and are brilliantly depicted in the film. Overall, you'll like the movie's background because of the wonderful locales.

‘Delhi 6’

This film is made up of vignettes from Old Delhi in which the filmmaker shows how families balance their lives between tradition and modernization. The movie's song "Maula Maula" was shot in Old Delhi's Jama Masjid. Other pictures include pickle drying on roofs, kite flying, and singing songs with Old Delhi in the backdrop.

‘Mission Kashmir’

Kashmir's beauty is limitless, which is why it is a favoured destination for many Indian directors. Kashmir has many lovely spots to photograph, and 'Mission Kashmir' came to depict the lives of individuals who spent their tough time in this beautiful region during the conflict. This film also depicts the state's natural beauty as well as situations in which fear reigns supreme in Kashmir.

‘Shootout At Lokhandwala’

This film was made at Lokhandwala to portray the real-life scenes of the Lokhandwala Complex shooting in 1991. The film depicts a real-life gunfight between criminals and Mumbai Police in Lokhandwala, with Sunil Shetty and Arbaaz Khan playing the key characters. The incident shown in the film is based on a true story.

‘Chandni Chowk To China’

This was the first Bollywood film shot in China. There are also a few shots from Chandani Chowk. However, because the region is extremely busy and the filmmaker did not want to disrupt their lives, the majority of the sequences at Chandi Chowk were shot in Sambar. In addition, because it was the year of the Olympics in China, the director had to travel to Bangkok to shoot the remaining sequences for China. When you watch this film, you will get the impression that it was entirely shot in China.

‘London Paris New York’

As the title indicates, the film was shot in three of the world's most popular and attractive cities: London, Paris, and New York. The video begins in London's Heathrow airport and travels to Paris and New York. The film follows Aditi Rao Hydari, a middle-class south Indian girl, and Ali Zafar, a Punjabi affluent boy, on their personal adventure and captures the greatest scenes from these three prominent sites.

‘Namaste England’

‘Namaste England’ was shot in 75 cities, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Paris, Brussels, and London. The film's first sequences were shot in Amritsar and Ludhiana, and subsequent portions were shot in Dhaka, Paris, Brussels, and eventually London. London is well-known for its contemporary atmosphere as well as its old-world charm. A song called 'Bhare Bazar' appears in a film shot at The Goldsmiths Company.

‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’

Nishikant Kamat directed the film, which starred Soha Ali Khan, Irrfan Khan, Paresh Rawal, and Kay Kay Menon. The film depicts the tragedy on July 11, 2006, when two Mumbai train bombs exploded, killing 209 people. The film earned several Filmfare Awards, and there are various locations in Mumbai where the film was shot.

‘Calcutta Mail’

‘Calcutta Mail’ featured three Bollywood actors: Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, and Manisha Koirala. This film brilliantly shows Calcutta's cramped street life, dark lonely evenings, filthy pubs, and congested tenements. The city itself plays an important role in the film.

‘Zila Ghaziabad’

The film ‘Zila Ghaziabad’ was shot in Delhi and Ghaziabad and included some of Delhi's most famous landmarks, including the Old Fort, Qutub Minar, and Tughlaqabad Fort. The film also features footage from the Hindon River in Ghaziabad. The filmmaker picked this location to give the audience a true sense of Delhi and Ghaziabad in the film. In Ghaziabad, certain electoral moments were also caught.

‘Shanghai’

This film, starring Emraan Hashmi, Abhay Deol, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Kalki Koechlin, was inspired by a prominent politician's statement that he would build Indian towns like Shanghai in the next two years. The film demonstrates how this was a catch-22 statement and how it would never be logically viable due to the country's current political situation.

‘Bombay’

The narrative of this Mani Ratnam film, starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala, is set amid the 1984 Bombay riots. Kabir Khan appears to have taken a page out of this book.

‘Badlapur’

Varun Dhawan's film, ‘Badlapur’ was based in Badlapur, a suburban locality in Mumbai. The other prominent reason to name the film as such was that the story highlighted an angle of ‘Badla (revenge)’, which was the main theme of the story.

‘New York’

This Kabir Khan-directed film, starring John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan, and Katrina Kaif, was warmly received by fans and moviegoers. The plot centred around a terrorist assault in New York after the 9/11 attacks and innocent Muslims were tortured to the level that they became rebellious against the country. Thus, calling the film accordingly was appropriate.

‘Namastey London’

Starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, this film depicted the story of a young boy from Punjab who gets married to a British girl, who was coerced into the wedding by her father. The girl did agree to get hitched but didn’t give the boy time enough to get the marriage legalized in India. Once they’re in the UK, she proclaims that she is unmarried as the wedding was not recorded in any legal books. Therefore, leaving the boy with no option but to let his wife go and marry someone else of her choice.   

‘Shootout At Wadala’

The film starred John Abraham and Anil Kapoor in lead roles and revolved around a police shootout of an infamous gangster Manya Surve around the locality of Wadala, a locality in Mumbai. The film was based on real-life shootings and therefore the name had to suit the incident which was etched in the minds of people living in Wadala.