Locations in Europe: Germany, Switzerland
Storyline
Star(s): Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor
Songs/Dance/Action: Located in Germany, Switzerland, and India
Indian/ International Crew: Indian and international
Language: Hindi
Executive Producer: Mahen Vakil
Director/Producer: Directed and produced by Yash Chopra/YRF Films
Film Location Analysis
By Ranjani Mazumdar
Dil To Pagal Hai used Switzerland for one song and Germany for another. The first song, “Dholna,” was shot in typical Yash Chopra style, entirely in Switzerland in the summer, with its green cover, rolling hills, grazing sheep, lakes, etc. The gestural nature of this romantic song, which is essentially a dream sequence, provides the basis for a flight to spaces beyond the narrative world of the film, something that became a regular feature in the 1990s. It is at a friend’s wedding that Rahul and Pooja express their passionate love for each other for the first time. These moments of excess have always been cut short by fantasy song sequences, which is what the “Dholna” song does, and provides the impetus for a direct transition to Switzerland. Farah Khan choreographed the performance, which made the landscape an important part of the picturisation. The changing costumes in the song harken back to the 1960s when all this started with the advent of colour. The use of pastel colours for the costumes was a recurring element in several Yash Chopra films, popularised as his own unique brand of romance. Pooja often appears in imaginary sequences in the film, all shot in the pastoral green landscape of Switzerland.
The title song, "Dil to Pagal Hai," was picturised as a romantic getaway to an unnamed destination. Ajay and Pooja arrive at this destination, primarily the Europa Park in Rust, Germany, where the major portion of the song was shot. The trip was narratively established as a leisure break for shopping and sightseeing. In the narrative world of the film, Ajay is meant to go on an official trip and wants to combine it with tourism after work. The combination of work and leisure as part of travel emerged as a major trend during the first phase of globalisation. India was still making its transition, and in the absence of malls and large department stores, the shopping attractions of a major theme park in Germany proved to be an incentive. Usually, travellers dedicate a full day to taking in the highlights of Europa Park. It is the largest theme park in Germany and one of the most popular destinations for world travellers. The park is known for its many offerings, including several themed roller coaster rides. The entrance showcases a German-style village, and apart from the roller coaster rides, there are innumerable restaurants, tram rides, and shopping experiences on offer. A large silver dome has often been identified with the park and is the backdrop for some of the moments in the song, along with the courtyard surrounded by shopping and eating options. In the 1990s, the theme park incorporated country sections—Swiss, Spanish, French, and several others. There are raft rides attached to the Scandinavian section, which is also incorporated into the song. These country sections were clearly addressing the expansion of tourism, leisure, and work that became identified with the 1990s drive for globalisation. The space can take in almost 50,000 visitors a day.
The use of Europe had a particular function in Dil To Pagal Hai. The physical spaces of the Indian city are never on display in the film. The department store visited by Pooja and her friend on Valentine’s Day is revealed as a space that is neatly organised with pine shelves dotted with accessories. Leather bags, candles, little gifts, lots of balloons, and satin evoke a fluffy mise-en scène. The naive conversation between Pooja and her friend on love is placed within the pink-and-lilac hue of the store. We never enter the store from the outside but are always already inside. This strategy of movement through a series of interior spaces renders the street and the city of Bombay superfluous. The outdoors must be erased, for that is where the specificity of the city lies. The interior, then, is not just an escape but also conveys a state of mind in which lifestyle mythology finds its complete visual articulation. The spatial topography of public spaces is a reminder that the city is conflictual—the street is a site of contradiction, inequality, and violence. The interior counters this perception through a hyper stylisation of space and light, objects and furnishings, mood and mise-en-scène.
Thus, Dil To Pagal Hai revels in the spatial exploration of the department store, the gym, the designer bedrooms of the two main protagonists, and the theatrical performance space. Coca-Cola, BPL television, and beer advertisements are now strategically placed in a mise-en-scène that is seamless in its movement. The characters may be Indian, but their location in space is virtual. In this private haven, the fantasy of a global lifestyle is played out, and it is in this haven that one can detect the anxieties and discomfort of an urban elite wanting to transcend the specificity of physical space, while at the same time wanting to hold on to a strong sense of cultural identity. The erasure of outside space becomes crucial to this strategy.
When the film desired public spaces, it did so through a mobilisation of European spaces with their green landscapes and shopping fantasies. The title song is split into two sections. The first part is located primarily in Europa Park, while the second segment moves to Baden-Baden in the south-western part of Germany and focuses on Nisha and Rahul. Baden-Baden is the home of some of the world’s best-known spas. Nisha is shown swimming while Rahul is shooting her on camera. Nisha is then running alongside Rahul on a bike through lush gardens with lakes. The overall quality of the entire song, picturised in Germany, is the promise of leisure and romance combined with a wealthy lifestyle.
Additional Information & Links
This was the first Bollywood movie to be shot in Baden-Baden, Germany, and in the German theme park—Europa Park.
Ditrich Granow, the Consul General of Germany in Bombay at the time was thanked in the film, clearly indicating the early days of the networks emerging between India and Germany for shooting locations.
Tourism
