Locations in Europe: Germany (Berlin), France (French Riviera), Switzerland (Zurich)
Storyline
Star(s): Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Om Puri
Songs/Dance/Action: Action sequences shot in different locations in Berlin.
Indian/ International Crew: Indian crew, German crew. German actor Florian Lukas played the part of Detective Jens Berkel.
For the car chases and fight sequences, there was a second-unit Director of Photography in Germany called Ollie.
Language: Hindi
Executive Producer /Line Producer/Associate Producer: Arunima Roy (Executive Producer) Kanishka Mehta, Mathias Schwerbrock, Rupali Suresh Vaidya (Line Producers) Miriam Joseph (Associate Producer) Gayatri Gulati (International Distribution & Sales)
Director/Producer: Farhan Akhtar (Director); Shah Rukh Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani, Utpal Acharya (Producers)
Film Location Analysis
By Veena Hariharan
Shot mostly in Germany during winter, the film is dominated by grey tones. With an overcast sky and a barely visible sun, the film adapted the natural and gritty look of the surroundings. There are several scenes in the film that map the city of Berlin. Each one could be analysed in detail. As an example, here is one of the brilliant car chase sequences:
The car chase between Don and Roma is launched with SRK’s most popular dialogue in the film: “Don ko pakadna mushkil he nahin, namumkin hi hai.” (Not only is it difficult to catch Don, but impossible!) Close-ups of SRK seen through the glass window and the shining metallic body of his black Hyundai car open the sequence as they are about to embark on a high voltage chase through the Gendarmenmarkt. A venue for summer open-air concerts and the winter Christmas market, the Gendarmenmarkt (Gendarmen Square) is always festive and populated. It is also one of the most remarkable squares in Europe framed by the French and German Cathedral on either side. The chase begins on a collision course through the populated streets of the Gendarmenmarkt, with Roma in hot pursuit of Don, she in an equally swanky white Hyundai. Top angle shots and close ups alternate to capture the life of the city’s centre as people are sent hurtling into the air, and cars are smashed into smithereens. As VFX captures shattered glass and humans in mid-air, cars enter gas stations and even the U-Bahn station (Berlin’s underground metro). In a moment reminiscent of the best blaxploitation films, the cars go down the steps of the U-Bahn past utterly shocked commuters, and all the way into and through the U-bahn station platforms. After circling claustrophobically through the orange pillars (evocative of prisons) of the messe halle (the convention centres), and the underground tunnels, suddenly we cut to the wide-open spaces of the Unter-den Linden (named after the linden trees that line this boulevard, that runs from the City Palace to the Brandenburg gate in the central Mitte district). As long shots follow the cars as they whizz past the tree-lined streets, close ups of the linden leaves swept in the wind create an atmospheric ballet as the chase culminates at the Brandenburg Tor (gate). Berlin’s most famous landmark and monument of Germany’s re-unification, Brandenburg Tor’s neo-classicist architecture is a fitting finale to Don’s triumphant victory over his pursuers.
Notes on Production, Cinematography, Colour:
67 Hyundai cars were shipped from Korea for this scene. The Brandenburg Gate which houses the United States and Russian Consulates was cordoned off for the climax shots of the car chase, and this was specially allowed for Don 2 while previously, many Hollywood films were denied the same permission. Every day, alternate routes and diversions were provided in lieu of the roads that were cordoned off for the shoot, and the entire filming schedule was well supported by the Berlin government. The scene is touted to be one of the best action sequences in Bollywood so far.
“We filmed the car chases during the day because blocking off streets in Berlin during the night, as per the original schedule, was too complicated,” said Jason West, the cinematographer, in an interview. For the car chases and fight sequences there was a second unit Director of Photography in Germany named Ollie and the two crew members needed to be in sync all the time. The sequence involved tracking vehicles, crash cameras, and cranes for the big stunts. There were about 6-7 cameras 235’s, 435’s, Arri 3’s and 535’s.
The underground location in Germany is called a Messe Halle where lots of business events happen. Underneath the large area there is a basement with a labyrinth of tunnels, which is where a large part of the scene was shot. Lighting in a tunnel is difficult as lights cannot be placed in the set as they would be seen on camera. So, West just changed the fluorescent tubes in the existing fixtures and tweaked their colour temperature using gels.
There is a moment in the scene where the power is out. There was no window or light source whatsoever. Realistically one cannot see anything, so to get the shot West used emergency backup lights (shown in the scene) and changed their colour to a deep amber at low level.
Orange ended up becoming a theme colour in the film that audiences may notice. In the car chase sequences in Berlin there is a building with only orange tiles. Cars going through the orange columns built in the 70’s looks really stunning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtPp-lHKWdU
Additional Information & Links
The principal photography of Don 2 began on October 2010 in Berlin, becoming the first Hindi film to be shot there.
The film's production was brought to Berlin following a joint initiative by visitBerlin, the agency that promotes the city, along with Media Board Berlin-Brandenburg, Berlin Partner and the city's airports.
Berlinale:
The decision to shoot in the city was made after Shah Rukh Khan attended the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) for its screening of My Name is Khan and realised that the city provided the required realistic backdrop for the film.
The film has special significance for Berliners because it has been extensively shot in Berlin on location. Indeed, besides Shah Rukh Khan, Berlin plays a "leading role" in the film, as Berlin's marketing experts like to say. Dorothee Wenner, Berlinale's curator for Asian and African cinema, was delighted to know that Berlin was not just a locale in Don 2 but is a character. Wenner is responsible for first inviting Shah Rukh Khan to the Berlinale in 2007 when Om Shanti Om was screened there. More and more Indian films have been screened at European film festivals in recent times, particularly at the Berlinale.
German funding
Before shooting began the German government announced the film on its website, (www.german-info.com) promising support and co-operation during filming. The German government provided €3 million in incentives to the film's producers, since it was shot in Berlin. There was already local support in the form of funds of 550,000 euros from a local film promotion company named Medienboard. (The entire shoot cost €6.8 million.) This is the first time an Indian film has received such a big investment from a local media company.
Permissions etc.,
“Unlike U.K., U.S.A or Thailand where international films are shot in dozens, it isn't easy to get permission for shooting in Germany. It is a conservative land and the eligibility criteria is very stringent when it comes to shooting a film there", informs a senior production executive, "One needs to be really planned and organised. Also, in order to be eligible for any benefits, there is a 60-point criteria out of which you have to clear at least 47 out of them before you are given a green signal." Shah Rukh is so famous in Germany and that made a great difference to shoot Don 2 there", says Ritesh Sidhwani; "We are the first Indian film which has managed to do that. There were certain pre-conditions that we were required to meet, and we had to be very careful. Eventually they did open the doors for us. Once we were together on making the film, they proved to be extremely helpful."
SRK also joins the likes of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. (Inglorious Basterds, Valkyrie) So far these are the only two major superstars who have managed to impress the German authorities when it comes to shooting an international film in their land. However, Shah Rukh Khan has now joined the elite team due to his super popularity in this part of the European continent.
Other info
A 70-member Indian crew travelled to the city for two weeks of preparation for shooting. Khan experimented with several looks and performed his own stunts in the film. In Berlin, he performed a 300-foot jump for a scene.
The shooting schedule also included a special appearance by Hrithik Roshan whose presence was kept under wraps by filmmakers. In December 2010, the Berlin shooting schedule ended.
Priyanka Chopra, the lead actress, said she would love to walk around the streets of Berlin. Film director and actor Farhan Akhtar said he liked the architecture of the city. They made these points at a press conference for the film where Shah Rukh repeated 'achtung' (careful) and 'danke' (thanks) several times.
Don 2 does not fail to capture Berlin's sights and sounds in an impressive way. There are, of course, fights, heists, romance and the city itself, whose image is enhanced with technical effects. Germans seemed to be impressed by a dialogue uttered in the film: "We Indians are everywhere!"
Tourism
SRK wave
The film was expected to boost tourism. Marketing experts and spin doctors promoting Berlin as a tourist destination could not have been more pleased with the outcome of the Berlinale. The release of Don 2, the sequel to Don with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, was given a rousing reception at the Berlinale premiere. "Shah Rukh Khan kept Berlin in suspense during the 50-day filming in autumn 2010," a spokesperson of visitBerlin told Weekend Review, referring to the excitement generated by the actor's shoot in the city.
Shah Rukh Khan's popularity in Berlin — teenage girls screamed Wir lieben Dich, Shah Rukh [We love you, Shah Rukh] when he finally appeared at the Berlinale after much delay — made it abundantly clear to the city's tourism planners what they could have achieved in publicity terms had Hollywood star Tom Cruise shot his Mission Impossible 3 in Berlin. (Cruise took his crew to Rome instead because he found the atmosphere in Berlin stifling and discouraging.) But Berlin is working hard to cash in on the so-called "SRK wave".
"Berlin now also plays a leading role in India through the Indian audiences who rushed to see the film when it was released. Thanks to Shah Rukh Khan's new blockbuster, the city has been opened up to millions of viewers in India and Asia. Bollywood films are seen by hundreds of millions of filmgoers and the most enthusiastic fans follow their idols everywhere," said Burkhard Kieker, managing director, visitBerlin. "The film creates marketing advantages which would be unthinkable and unaffordable through advertising. Berlin did not mean much to most Indians. That would change, thanks to Shah Rukh Khan, and there will be, meanwhile, effects on tourism in Berlin in the coming years."
visitBerlin
visitBerlin has created, for example, a "Don in Berlin" city map highlighting the film locations with descriptive narrations of the individual scenes in which they feature. The map can be downloaded and printed. Marketing experts of visitBerlin have added another gimmick. There are about 3,500 prints of the film in circulation in India. A trailer of Berlin, produced by visitBerlin in cooperation with the Media Board Berlin-Brandenburg, is shown before every film. visitBerlin is, apparently, trying to emulate Switzerland's tourism promotion strategy: By offering its scenic landscape in the celluloid products of Bollywood film producers featuring big stars, it hopes to attract high-spending Indian tourists.
Adventure tourism: Base flying
Part of the spectacular chase through Berlin’s city centre where Don triumphs by doing a surprise base jump to escape his pursuers was mapped as an adventure tourist attraction with the tagline: “Want to fly like Shah Rukh Khan in Don 2?” Base flying became hugely popular owing to this. Base flying means that you fly roped up on a special construction – almost 125 meters from the roof of the hotel Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz.
Challenges: Berlin not a tourist hotspot
But Berlin, unlike Switzerland, has never really been popular with Indian tourists who would rather see the snow-capped Swiss Alps, or Paris, London or even Dubai or Bangkok — which seem more hospitable and familiar to them. SRK said that Berlin was chosen as location for Don 2 because the film demanded a more realistic backdrop, unlike some of his other films
Berlin also poses other problems for Indian tourists, who have to go through a strenuous and long-winding visa process at the German embassy or consulates in India which many Indians say, are "not the friendliest" compared to other countries. Indians also nurse a perception about Germans being xenophobic and resentful of foreigners. The recent discovery of gruesome killings of foreigners, mostly Muslims — also known as the infamous Doener Murders — by right-wing perpetrators has not helped Berlin's image.
