Locations in Europe: Mediterranean Cruise liner Pullmantur Cruises’ ship MS Sovereign. The onshore locations included France, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, and Italy. The cities of İstanbul, Antalya, Nevşehir.
Storyline
Star(s): Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Anushka Sharma, Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah
Songs/Dance/Action Sequences: Inside the premises of Pullmantur Cruises’ ship MS Sovereign. The song ‘Phir Bhi Yeh Zindagi’ was shot in Cappadocia.
Indian/ International Crew: Collaboration with international crews.
Language: Hindi
Line Producer/Executive Producer Executive Producer: Vikesh Bhutani Line Producers: Anna Cassina, Zeki Kahveci, Riccardo Rogazione (Italy), Suat Saglam, Shivani Saran, Yasmine Stafford, Xavier Wakefield (France)
Director/Producer Director: Zoya Akhtar Producer: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar
Film Location Analysis
By Veena Hariharan
Heading for the cruise vacation: Port of Naples, Italy
Commencing the grand trip with panache, we see the Mehras, along with some other guests, making a fashionable entry at the port of Naples from where a speed boat takes them a short distance to board the cruise. While the grand appearances begin, the port of Naples shines in the background. While there is no mention of the starting point of the cruise in the film, what we see in the film is the Port of Naples, one of the most popular ports for cruises from Italy.
Ayesha hints at problems in her marriage: Turkish Hamam, Izmir
The first stop on their cruise is the port of Izmir. We see the ladies enjoying the Turkish Hamam in the city of Izmir. Finding her mom (Shefali Shah) in a relaxed environment, Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) hints at problems in her marriage, further asking why her mom didn’t leave her dad (Anil Kapoor) despite his demeaning behaviour. Her mother shrugs her off.
Noorie & Rana steal glances: Galata Tower, Istanbul
The next stop of the cruise is the city of Istanbul. Here, we first see the Khanna’s and the Soods cross paths on the top of the Galata Tower in Istanbul. While the parents are giving each other cold stares, the kids are stealing glances and smiles. The top of the Galata Tower is one of the most frequented spots by tourists in Istanbul and offers a panoramic view of the city and the Bosphorus.
Noorie reveals her secret to Kabir: Hagia Sofia, Istanbul
After spending the night with Rana (Vikrant Massey), Noorie (Ridhima Sud) drags Kabir (Ranveer Singh) to a corner at the Hagia Sophia, revealing her secret, requesting him to play along when their parents ask. In this scene, we can spot the different corners of the interiors of Hagia Sophia, one of the most historically significant monuments in the city of Istanbul.
Ayesha-Sunny steal glances: Ruins of Ephesus
Next up we see Ayesha sitting on the steps, Sunny (Farhan Akhtar) taking her picture from a distance. This gorgeous outdoor location is the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, now in ruins.
‘Phir Bhi Yeh Zindagi’: Cappadocia/Caves/Whirling dervishes/Hot air ballooning
‘Phir Bhi Yeh Zindagi’ is a sad track from the film, which was deleted prior to the release (it is now available in the online streaming version of the film). In this song, the Mehras, along with their guests, make the most of their trip by exploring the beautiful town of Cappadocia. We see them engaging in activities such as hot air ballooning, exploring the underground caves, and enjoying a soulful performance by the whirling dervishes.
Everybody finds out: Kings Bar, Antalya
Finally, everybody finds out the truth. Farah (Anushka Sharma) finds out that Kabir and Noorie are getting engaged, Kamal (Anil Kapoor) finds out that Noorie and Rana are having an affair. Not too long after, a major scene with the Mehras voicing their issues comes up, summing up the key conflict of the film.
The rest of the film, i.e., 70% of the film, was shot on a cruise. It was the Sovereign Pullmantur cruise on which the crew travelled to Tunisia, Barcelona, Civitavecchia, and Naples.
The film includes scenes shot in Türkiye, with Antalya Marina, Kaleiçi streets, and Aspendos in Antalya; Süleymaniye Mosque, the Blue Mosque, historical trams, city ferries, coastal roads, Rumeli Castle, Sarayburnu, Arnavutköy ferry terminal, İstiklal Avenue, Taksim Square, Galata Bridge, Galata streets, and the Galata Tower in İstanbul; and Cappadocia, Valley of Love, Devrent Valley, Mustafapaşa, Göreme Open-air Museum, and Karanlık Church in Nevşehir.
Farah-Kabir’s lunch date: Taksim Square/Nostaljik Tram/ Galata Saray/Eminonu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lUOIkCh2oU
The production team had had only a few hours on each port of call to disembark and shoot in that city before heading back. Everything was planned well in advance, including getting permissions for location shoots. This portion of the film was shot in Istanbul. The scene begins with the top-down shot of a panoramic view of the beautiful city of Istanbul as the ship docks. Next, the camera follows Kabir as he walks through the corridors of the luxury liner (designed by Neil Patel, in a classic art deco cruise aesthetic of the 30s and 40s). He interrupts a dance rehearsal in progress and yells out to Farah to have lunch with him. She announces the location for their meeting–Taksim Square–and dismisses him hurriedly as it is against the rules to be personally involved with on-board passengers, as we learn later. The scene cuts from the low-lit interiors of the cruise liner to a bright sunny day at the tourist and leisure district of Taksim Square, where Kabir, dressed in a white casual t-shirt and blue jeans, waits for Farah. For a moment, we are not sure if Farah will turn up. But when she does, in black tights and a causal sleeveless top with a hat, they waste no time getting on to the Nostaljik Tram (the heritage tramline) that heads towards the Galatasaray Square where the tram cars pass one another on the ride between Taksim and Tunel. They are seen through the windows of the tram busy in conversation, which continues even as they pause at the Junior bar, that they have chosen out of the many taverns and delis that dot the square. They order some Turkish specialities—grilled fish and kebab—while their conversation flows easily and naturally. After this, they decide to cycle it up (even though biking is not the most popular means of transport in the city) to Eminonu, on the southern side of the Galata bridge, which is the final location of the tram, and home to some ferry stations. Splendid views of the Bosphorus bridge and the blue Bosphorus river, and pigeons in flight accompany their journey and conversation, which is in the form of a series of rapid-fire get-to-know-each-other questions. The scene ends at the picturesque setting of the Ortakoy Mosque, framed by the beautiful Bosphorus. Throughout the scene, the camera remains focused on the two characters, as they continue to be immersed in each other, and their conversation evolves from a casual lunch meeting to a spontaneous date, and finally into love. The city of Istanbul that the pair has mapped by foot, tram, and cycle, provides a perfect backdrop for this modern love story.
Additional Information & Links
Promos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrT_fioqn4o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5URQfLvCJKw
https://www.facebook.com/tseriesmusic/videos/407426923290281/
Blog:
https://awaradiaries.com/ddd-filming-locations/
Tourism
http://www.sheriftravel.com/tour/dil-dhadakne-do-luxury-turkey/
https://www.bollywoodpresents.com/dil-dhadakne-do-landmark-bollywood-travel-film/
