Locations in Europe: Iceland, Bulgaria
Storyline
Star(s): Sharukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon
Songs/Dance/Action Sequences: Shot in both India and Europe.
Indian/ International Crew: Indian and international.
Language: Hindi
Director/Producer: Rohit Shetty (Director & Producer), Gauri Khan (Producer)
Line Producer/Executive Producer: George Cameron and Anil Sable (Executive Producer); Elizabeth Agnarsdottic (Line Producer, Iceland); Bunty Arora (Line Producer, Bulgaria); K.S Jairam and Ramji Natarajan (Line Producers for Bulgaria and Iceland); Leti Singh and Illya Sotirov (Line Producers for Bulgaria).
Film Location Analysis
By Ranjani Mazumdar
The first use of Bulgaria as a location is introduced in Dilwale through a dream sequence. Veer falls for Ishita and starts to daydream about being with her. The scene abruptly moves to Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, where the song "Manma Emotion" was shot. The song used many cars lining the streets where the two protagonists dance. The peppy dance combined street views of the city with mountains, and historic Romanesque buildings and statues that occupy the background. All these spaces are available in film studios for hire in Sofia. The street view and the background of the Roman set were both shot in Sofia's Nu Boyana studio, which opened in 1962 and was under state control till 2005, when a US company, Nu Image, bought it. The studio is one of the largest in Europe and provides ready-made sets that can stand in for different cities around the world. The presence of a range of simulated locations in a single complex allowed the performers in "Manma Emotion" the opportunity to move from one site to another, making the space appear like the streets of Sofia. A fleet of cars in different colours is used against both contemporary urban form and Romanesque architecture, providing Rohit Shetty with the look that he really wanted. Shetty’s obsession with cars can be gauged from all his films, but in Dilwale, he made Raj and Veer work as car modifiers so the vehicles could appear throughout the film. More than 70 different brands of cars were used for "Manma Emotion," along with a truck that Veer jumps off. While the streets could have been easily organised for filming with the help of the film commission, the availability of the sets made it possible to orchestrate the lavish style associated with Shetty's films. These sequences reveal the scale of infrastructure and transnational collaborations required for certain kinds of images in films.
Unlike the "Manma Emotion" song sequence, the need to display Sofia's architectural grandeur and historic value defined the way Bulgaria appeared next on screen. We transition to Sofia through a flashback from Raj’s point of view as he recalls his gangster life almost fifteen years earlier. We are suddenly taken to a high-speed action sequence with cars and a much younger Raj wielding the gun. However, the urban form takes precedence here over the space of the action as key landmarks of the city are introduced using an accelerated navigational method. We first see the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with its golden and green domes and white walls. This is one of Sofia's primary attractions, and it stands in the centre of the city close to the Bulgarian Parliament and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, all of which are drawn into the aerial views of the city. As we speed along at both ground and aerial levels, we see the Russian Church of St. Nicholas, also located in central Sofia. The Russian Church, like the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, appears several times during this action-packed sequence. We also speed past the Largo, which consists of three buildings built in the 1950s in the architectural style of socialist classicism and serves as the headquarters for key government institutions. The drone lays out the aerial vision for the chase through the streets, combined with low-angle views of the cars in frenetic motion. Drone views of the Council of Ministers appear along with other historic and modern structures. The sequence climaxes with several cars going over the Lion's Bridge to crash while Raj’s car manoeuvres its way to safety, only to screech to a sudden halt when Meera walks in front. This is the first encounter between the two that is dramatically orchestrated and ends at the National Library as the two walk over to a bench.
While in "Manma Emotion," energetic movement was created through dance choreography on a studio set simulating architectural forms, in the high-speed entry just discussed, urban iconicity and the need to establish an indexical connection with the concrete architectural heritage of Sofia became important. This was also important since, for the first time, Bulgaria was being introduced to Indian audiences through Bombay cinema. These iconic sites in Sofia have now become part of "Bollywood walking tours" for visitors from India, with specialist guides helping to navigate each location used in the film. These tours are offered throughout the year and last for five hours. Visitors congregate in front of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral to begin their "Dilwale tour" and end at the Lions Bridge. Tourism to Bulgaria from India increased dramatically after Dilwale.
A key highlight of the film was the return of Shahrukh Khan and Kajol after a five-year gap. Since DDLJ (1995), their first major hit, the two stars have continued to be a popular on-screen pair, and films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, and My Name is Khan drew on the power and legacy of this popularity. Rohit Shetty was acutely aware of this star value and therefore introduced sequences to connect with their screen legacies. The first of these is the tram sequence, which references DDLJ's famous train moment. It begins with a high-angle drone shot of Vitosha Boulevard, the main commercial street in the centre of the city, with the McDonald's sign displayed on one side and Subway on the other, projecting the city’s globalised landscape. We are then at ground level and see Raj walking down the Boulevard, where Meera has displayed her art for sale. Raj’s encounter with Meera is captured amidst fountains and buildings. Raj walks a limping Meera to the tram, and the romantic connection between the two is captured with a familiar musical refrain and close-ups of their expressions of longing, all in a bid to connect with the memory of DDLJ.
The second irruption of cinematic memory is rendered in the hugely popular song "Gerua," which was shot in Iceland and reminded audiences of another moment like this in Egypt from K3G. The song "Suraj Hua Madham" in K3G, released more than twenty years ago, was shot in various locations in Egypt. “Gerua” follows a similar style with costume changes, flowing sarees, and the spatial mapping of striking natural landscapes in Iceland. The sites included in the song were Skogafoss waterfalls, the plane wreckage on the Black Sand Beach of Sólheimasandur, Reynisfjara Beach, the moving icebergs and glaciers of Jökulsárlón, and the breath-taking mountains of Vestrahorn. A “Dilwale” tour is also available in Iceland, cashing in on the huge success of “Gerua.”
A major car sequence involving Meera and Raj shows the two speeding up and driving towards Kaliakra Cape. This is a thrill-inducing segment that is captivating and introduces a different language of romance in line with Rohit Shetty’s style. The town of Bansko was also used for certain moments in the film.
Additional Information & Links
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/150722/entertainment-bollywood/gallery/new-dilwale-set-pics
https://guidetoiceland.is/history-culture/dilwale-in-iceland
Tourism
“This is what you call the power of Indian Cinema. Last year Bulgaria saw 23% increase in the traffic of Indian tourists after Dilwale. Feeling blessed and honoured to be felicitated by the Indian Embassy in Bulgaria that too on such a prestigious day.” (Rohit Shetty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1L9fPxBAKi/?hl=en)
https://guidetoiceland.is/history-culture/dilwale-in-iceland
http://nvisiontravel.com/tours/dilwale-tour-sofia/
https://nordical.com/iceland-group-tours/10-day-dilwale-tour/
