Bollywood in Northeast India

Two Bollywood movies in 2016 will extensively feature Northeast—these are Rangoon and Rock on 2. But this is not the first time that Bollywood has been charmed by the almost-virgin locations of the eight NE siblings. In fact, you have been to the Northeast a number of times through the lenses of many renowned directors.

Here’s a list of some of the prominent Hindi movies that were shot is some of the most- magnificent, serene and pristine locales of this region.

JEWEL THIEF, 1967, Sikkim

Image Source: Google

This was one of the very first Bond-like spy movies in Bollywood, which captivated the Indian audience to no end. Shot in Sikkim at a time when the state was not a part of the Indian sub-continent. The cast of the movie had Helen, Vyjayantimala, Ashok Kumar and Dev Anand.

EK PAL, 1986, Assam

Image Source: Google

Kalpana Lajmi collaborated with Bhupen Hazarika on various movies. Ek Pal was one of the many movies made by her starring Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi. The rarity of this movie was that it was shot entirely in Shillong and Jorhat back in the 80’s. People sure did know about the scenic beauty of the North East back then!

KOYLA, 1997, Arunachal Pradesh

Image Source: Google

Directed by Rakesh Roshan, Koyla was shot in Arunachal Pradeshin the 90s. There were three very specific shots, which include the ‘Tanhai Tanhai’ song that was shot in a place named Jang at the Nuranang Falls. The same song was shot again at a different location at the Sangetsar Lake, which was later renamed as “Madhuri Lake” after the lead actress of the movie Madhuri Dixit. The third important location was at the Paradise Lake in Tawang.

HAR PAL, 2008, Meghalaya

Image Source: Google

Har Pal was largely in headlines because the movie was entirely shot in Shillong and was directed by Jahnu Barua, a multiple national and international award-winning Indian film director from Assam. Shillong is one of the most-scenic destinations according to a survey conducted in 2016. The cast had Preity Zinta and Shiny Ahuja as lead actors.

DAMAN, 2001, Assam

Image Source: Google

Daman was directed by Kalpana Lajmi in the backdrop of Assam, along with many shots taken in the famous Kamakhya Temple—an iconic factor for a lot of tourists visiting Assam.

RANGOON, 2016, Arunachal Pradesh & Assam

Image Source: Google

Rangoon—a period romance drama set during World War II—is one of the much-awaited Bollywood movies of 2016. Shot in Arunachal Pradesh, the lead actor Shahid Kapoor was seen in traditional Arunachali attire at many occasions while interacting with fans. The movie has also been shot in Assam; a song sequence was filmed at the Jonai railway station with Kangana Ranaut. We are already very excited!

ROCK ON, 2016, Meghalaya

Image Source: Google

The director of Rock on 2 decided not only to provide the eager Indian audience with brilliant music, but also with some incredible beauty of the Northeast, especially Shillong in Meghalaya. The entire crew was seen exploring Shillong and the nearby places towards end-2015. Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar went a step ahead and wooed the audience by performing at the NH7 Weekender, Shillong. They definitely know how to strum the strings of their audience.

By Rhea Hussain and The Travel Trunk team

Rhea Hussain

This 22-year-old political science graduate is a self-proclaimed fitness freak with a love for collecting books and smelling them incessantly. A few things that she digs are crunching on ice cubes, binging on momos and travelling. She has an unconditional affection for dogs. Although she says that she does not have a philosophy in life, but she believes that "happiness is subjective, so never compare".