Locations in Europe: Budapest, Hungary
Storyline
Director/Producer: Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali; Producer: Jhamu Sugandh
Line Producer/Executive Producer/ Associate Producer: Executive Producer: Ibrahim Desai; Executive Producer, Hungary: André Szöts
Star(s): Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn
Songs/Dance/Action: The title song Hum ‘Dil De Chuke Sanam’ has been filmed in Budapest
Indian/ International Crew: Indian and International
Language: Hindi
Film Location Analysis
By Shikha Jhingan
In the opening sequences of Budapest, the camera gives us an aerial view that moves from clockwise to anti-clockwise in rhythm with the music. The vistas of the iconic heritage buildings of Budapest, such as the Parliament Building, the Gellert Baths, and Heroes Square, lead us to the Széchenyi (chain) bridge, which we see from the windscreen of a car. The sequence is then built from Nandini’s point of view, looking at the city with desire and anticipation, hoping to find Sameer.
In the next sequence, we see Vanraj and Sameer taking a tour of music shops and music institutions in the city, either taking the tram or walking on foot. Images of the tram crisscrossing the city are used as a transitional device to show the passage of time and space and to foreground Nandini’s frustration at not being able to find Sameer in such a large city. These scenes also show a difference between Vanraj and Nandini in the way they gaze at the city. While Vanraj wants to negotiate the space both as a tourist and with a sense of mission, Nandini’s gaze remains locked, her eyes either downcast or staring into space, symbolising her disenchantment with the city despite its grandeur.
In one dramatic sequence, we see Nandini running through the city, crossing streets amidst heavy traffic, negotiating crowded footpaths, and running on tram tracks to follow the trail of Sameer. She is almost run over by a tram, but Vanraj heroically pulls her out in time. Budapest becomes a space of both discovery and loss as Nandini and Vanraj come across several clues that lead them to Sameer, but each time he seems to slip away from their grasp. This allows Nandini to slowly open up to Vanraj and get attracted to his stoic nature and innocent charm.
The film tries to create a notional idea of Italy, especially in a restaurant where the waiter speaks Italian with an exaggerated tone and in a train when the ticket collector gets frustrated at a young couple locked in a kiss as he tries to check their tickets. But in several scenes, the street signage, costumes of people, and the presence of architectural, infrastructural, and material artefacts betray the filmed location. For instance, Vanraj and Nandini travel to Sameer’s village near ‘Santa Maria Church,’ where they meet Sameer’s mother (Helen) sitting with her neighbours. The two old women on the screen are dressed typically like Hungarian women of the countryside. In a later part of the film, Nandini uses the same trick on a train ride since they are unable to buy tickets after becoming victims of a robbery. To hoodwink the ticket collector, Nandini holds Vanraj in a tight embrace, asking him to play along. The music adds to the affective charge of this sensual moment.
The Szécheny Chain Bridge becomes an important site for several encounters between the three protagonists, ultimately symbolising its mediating role between Nandini and Vanraj. In one sequence, we see Vanraj walking on the banks of the Danube River with a view of the Chain Bridge lit up beautifully at night when he unknowingly runs into Sameer. Next, we see Nandini in her room looking out into the vista of the city, which includes a view of the bridge. In another scene at the same site, we see Vanraj struggling to tell Nandini that he loves her, but words fail him. Finally, in a drunken state, he slumps into Nandini’s arms. As the music rises, the scene cuts to a dramatic shot of an orange-hued sky struggling to emerge out of dark clouds, indicating the arrival of a day when Nandini will be forced to make a difficult choice.
In the climactic scene, the title song frames Nandini’s inner dilemma as we see her getting into the car with Vanraj to meet Sameer at the National Opera House. The song shows Sameer and his mother buying flowers for Nandini at the city square. We then see another vignette: a detour via the street below the Szécheny chain bridge, where Nandini asks a passerby to take her picture with Vanraj. Both of them struggle to give an intimate shot. This moment is interrupted by an overexcited Sameer running on the bridge towards Nandini, as he has spotted her. As he shouts out her name, Nandini too starts running towards him on the bridge’s walkway. We see this anticipated moment from Vanraj’s POV, but with the sound of the screeching tyres, we return to the car in present time. Nandini and Vanraj have reached the Opera House. The imposing building is framed through low-angle shots as both enter the hallway. As a reluctant Nandini goes up the grand staircase to meet Sameer, we see Vanraj standing at the entrance hallway amidst dark shadows created by the bodies of men and women waiting for the show in a tableau formation.
In the last scene shot at night, we return to the Chain Bridge. Vanraj is walking on the bridge with his back to the camera, with Nandini running towards him in a bright red saree. Later, as the couple get locked in an embrace, the camera cranes out in a swinging movement to show a panoramic view of the bridge with a show of fireworks in the sky.
Additional Information and Links
The story of the film identifies Sameer as a musician from Italy, who comes to India to learn Indian classical music as a homage to his father who is of an Indian origin. He falls in love with his mentor’s daughter Nandini. Furious about the way the secret lovers have been meeting each other, in violation of kinship and caste norms, the Guru asks Sameer to pack his bags and go back to Italy. Nandini is married off to Vanraj. In the second half of the film Nandini and Vanraj leave for Italy to look for Sameer. But the locations for the film have been shot in Budapest, even though the characters in the film keep making references to Italy.
Tourism
Chain Bridge - Hum DIl De Chuke Sanam | Budapest | - YouTube
Budapest - Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam Wala Italy | Vlog - 034 - YouTube
