Goa is fantastic.............

some truths about Bollywood...

ARTICLE

Bollywood films are multi-million dollar productions, with the most expensive productions costing up to 100 Crore rupees (roughly USD 20 million). Sets, costumes, special effects, and cinematography were less than world-class up until the mid-to-late 1990s, although with some notable exceptions. As Western films and television gain wider distribution in India itself, there is an increasing pressure for Bollywood films to attain the same production levels, particularly in areas such as action and special effects. Recent Bollywood films have employed international technicians to improve in these areas, such as Krish (2006) which has action choreographed by Hong Kong based Tony Ching. The increasing accessibility to professional action and special effects, coupled with rising film budgets, has seen an explosion in the action and sci-fi genres.

Sequences shot overseas have proved a real box office draw, so Mumbai film crews are increasingly filming in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, continental Europe and elsewhere. Nowadays, Indian producers are winning more and more funding for big-budget films shot within India as well, such as Lagaan, Devdas and other recent films.

Funding for Bollywood films often comes from private distributors and a few large studios. Indian banks and financial institutions were forbidden from lending money to movie studios. However, this ban has now been lifted. As finances are not regulated, some funding also comes from illegitimate sources, such as the Mumbai underworld. The Mumbai underworld has been known to be involved in the production of several films, and is notorious for their patronization of several prominent film personalities; On occasion, they have been known to use money and muscle power to get their way in cinematic deals. In January 2000, Mumbai mafia hit men shot Rakish Roshan, a film director and father of star Hrithik Roshan. In 2001, the Central Bureau of Investigation seized all prints of the movie Chori Chori Chupke Chupke after the movie was found to be funded by members of the Mumbai underworld.

Another problem facing Bollywood is widespread copyright infringement of its films. Often, bootleg DVD copies of movies are available before the prints are officially released in cinemas. Manufacturing of bootleg DVD, VCD, and VHS copies of the latest movie titles is a well-established 'small scale industry' in parts of South Asia and South East Asia. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) estimate that the Bollywood industry loses $100 million annually in loss of revenue from pirated home videos and DVDs. Besides catering to the homegrown market, demand for these copies is large amongst some sections of the Indian diaspora, too. (In fact, bootleg copies are the only way people in Pakistan can watch Bollywood movies, since the Government of Pakistan has banned their sale, distribution and telecast). Films are frequently broadcast without compensation by countless small cable TV companies in India and other parts of South Asia. Small convenience stores run by members of the Indian diaspora in the U.S. and the UK regularly stock tapes and DVDs of dubious provenance, while consumer copying adds to the problem. The availability of illegal copies of movies on the Internet also contributes to the piracy problem.

Satellite TV, television and imported foreign films are making huge inroads into the domestic Indian entertainment market. In the past, most Bollywood films could make money; now fewer tend to do so. However, most Bollywood producers make money, recouping their investments from many sources of revenue, including selling ancillary rights. There are also increasing returns from theatres in Western countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, where Bollywood is slowly getting noticed. As more Indians migrate to these countries, they form a growing market for upscale Indian films.

For an interesting comparison of Hollywood and Bollywood financial figures, see chart. It shows tickets sold in 2002 and total revenue estimates. Bollywood sold 3.6 billion tickets and had total revenues (theatre tickets, DVDs, television etc.) of US$1.3 billion, whereas Hollywood films sold 2.6 billion tickets and generated total revenues (again from all formats) of US$51 billion.

Advertising, many Indian artists used to make a living by hand-painting movie billboards and posters (The well-known artist M.F. Hussein used to paint film posters early in his career). This was because human labour was found to be cheaper than printing and distributing publicity material. Now, a majority of the huge and ubiquitous billboards in India's major cities are created with computer-printed vinyl. The old hand-painted posters, once regarded as ephemera, are becoming increasingly collectible as folk art.

Releasing the film music, or music videos, before the actual release of the film can also be considered a form of advertising. A popular tune is believed to help pull audiences into the theaters.

Bollywood publicists have begun to use the Internet as a venue for advertising. Most of the better-funded film releases now have their own websites, where browsers can view trailers, stills, and information about the story, cast, and crew.

Bollywood is also used to advertise other products. Product placement, as used in Hollywood, is widely practiced in Bollywood.

Bollywood movie stars appear in print and television advertisements for other products, such as watches or soap (see Celebrity endorsement). Advertisers say that a star endorsement boosts sales.

Thus all the Bollywood members earn a lot in all ways.

“Vincent van Gogh” life............

“Vincent van Gogh” Birth Year : 1853 Death Year : 1890 Country : Netherlands Vincent van Gogh, for whom colour was the chief symbol of expression, was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland. The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional and lacked self-confidence. Between 1860 and 1880, when he

finally decided to become an artist, van Gogh had had two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a preacher in the Baronage (a dreary mining district in Belgium), where he was dismissed for overzealousness. He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. The works of his early Dutch period are sombre-toned, sharply lit, genre paintings of which the most famous is "The Potato Eaters" (1885). In that year van Gogh went to Antwerp where he discovered the works of Rubens and purchased many Japanese prints. In 1886 he went to Paris to join his brother Theo, the manager of Goupil's gallery. In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin, and began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brushstrokes of the Impressionists. His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. Gauguin did join him but with disastrous results. Near the end of 1888, an incident led Gauguin to ultimately leave Arles. Van Gogh pursued him with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a portion of his own ear lobe off. Van Gogh then began to alternate between fits of madness and lucidity and was sent to the asylum in Saint-Remy for treatment. In May of 1890, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr. Gachet. Two months later he was dead, having shot himself "for the good of all." During his brief career he had sold one painting. Van Gogh's finest works were produced in less than three years in a technique that grew more and more impassioned in brushstroke, in symbolic and intense colour, in surface tension, and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Van Gogh's inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature.

Get the list of the kapoor family since generaions...

Kapoor family

Originally hailing from the city of Samundri, District Lyallpur, Punjab of Hindu origin, five generations of the Kapoor family have acted, directed or produced in the Bollywood industry, starting from Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor right down to Ranbir Kapoor. It was founded by actor Prithviraj Kapoor, whose eldest son Raj Kapoor became a superstar in the Hindi film industry, and his two other sons (Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor) became stars in their own right. Most members of the family have either acted in, produced or directed films, and have had a major impact on Indian films.

Though all three of Prithviraj Kapoor's sons became actors, it is Raj Kapoor's descendants that have carried on the family legacy. His sons, Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor went on to become well-known actors whilst his youngest son Rajiv Kapoor was not as successful as his brothers. Randhir Kapoor's daughters, Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, have gone on to find success in the film industry, although the former has temporarily retired due to marriage. In addition to that, Rishi Kapoor's son, Ranbir Kapoor made his debut in 2007 opposite Sonam Kapoor, the daughter of Anil Kapoor, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya.

Family tree

Members of the Kapoor Family

1st generation

* Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor - a retired policeman and son of Dewan Keshavmal Kapoor who made a cameo in his grandson Raj Kapoor's movie, Awaara (1951)

2nd generation

* Prithviraj Kapoor - eldest son of Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor; married to Ramsarni Mehra

* Trilok Kapoor - second son of Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor

3rd generation

* Raj Kapoor - eldest son of Prithviraj; married to Krishna Malhotra

* Shammi Kapoor- second son of Prithviraj; married to Geeta Bali (first wife) and Neila Devi (second wife)

* Shashi Kapoor - youngest son of Prithviraj; married to Jennifer Kendal

* Urmila Sial - daughter of Prithviraj

4th generation

* Randhir Kapoor - eldest son of Raj Kapoor; married to Babita

* Rishi Kapoor - second son of Raj Kapoor; married to Neetu Singh Kapoor

* Rajiv Kapoor (Chimpu) - youngest son of Raj Kapoor

* Ritu Nanda - eldest daughter of Raj Kapoor; married to Rajan Nanda

* Rima Kapoor Jain - second daughter of Raj Kapoor; married to Manoj Jain first son,name of Mohitjain

* Kanchan Desai - daughter of Shammi Kapoor; married to Ketan Desai, son of Manmohan Desai

* Aditya Raj Kapoor - son of Shammi Kapoor; married to Priti

* Kunal Kapoor - eldest son of Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal, married to Sheena Sippy, daughter of film director Ramesh Sippy

* Karan Kapoor - second son of Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal

* Sanjana Kapoor - daughter of Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal; married to Valmik Thapar

* Namita Kapur - daughter of Urmila Sial, married to Vicky Kapur

* Anuradha Kheta - daughter of Urmila Sial

* Priti Grover - daughter of Urmila Sial, married to Sandeep Grover

* Jatin Sial - son of Urmila Sial, married Kavita Sharma

5th generation

* Karisma Kapoor - eldest daughter of Randhir Kapoor and Babita; married to Sanjay Kapur

* Kareena Kapoor - second daughter of Randhir Kapoor and Babita; in a relationship with Saif Ali Khan

* Ranbir Kapoor - son of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh Kapoor

* Armaan Jain - eldest son of Rima and Manoj Jain

* Aadar Jain - second son of Rima and Manoj Jain

* Riddhima Sahni Kapoor - daughter of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh Kapoor; married to Bharat Sahni

* Nitasha Nanda - daughter of Ritu Nanda and Rajan Nanda

* Nikhil Nanda - son of Ritu Nanda and Rajan Nanda; married to Shweta Bachchan-Nanda, daughter of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan

* Pooja Desai - eldest daughter of Kanchan and Ketan Desai

* Rajrajeshwari Desai - second daughter of Kanchan and Ketan Desai

* Vishwapratapraj Kapoor - son of Aditya Raj Kapoor and Priti Kapoor

* Tulsi Kapoor - daughter of Aditya Raj Kapoor and Priti Kapoor

* Zahan Prithviraj Kapoor - son of Kunal Kapoor (Kapoor family) and Sheena Sippy

* Shaira Laura Kapoor - daughter of Kunal Kapoor (Kapoor family) and Sheena Sippy

* Hameer - son of Sanjana Kapoor and Valmik Thapar

* Anisha Kapur - daughter of Namita Kapur

* Vibha Kapur - daughter of Namita Kapur

* Varun Kapur - son of Namita Kapur

* Nushka Kheta - daughter of Anuradha Kheta

* Priyanka Kheta- daughter of Anuradha Kheta

* Sukriti - elder daughter of Priti Grover and Sandeep Grover

* Nainika - younger daughter of Priti Grover and Sandeep Grover

* Ammeya Sial - daughter of Jatin Sial

* Myra Sial - daughter of Jatin Sial

6th Generation

* Samaira Kapur - daughter of Karisma Kapoor and Sanjay Kapur

* Kiaan Raj Kapur - son of Karisma Kapoor and Sanjay Kapur

* Navya Naveli Nanda - daughter of Nikhil Nanda and Shweta Bachchan-Nanda

* Agastye Nanda - son of Nikhil Nanda and Shweta Bachchan-Nanda

See how the Bollywood emerged.......

"History of Bollywood Films"

The first films India watched were not made in Bollywood but cinema had indeed arrived on India’s shores. The year was 1896, and thanks to the country’s colonial rulers, it was the Lumiere Brothers who introduced the art of cinema to the sub-continent. Bombay, as it was then called, was the first Indian city to screen Cinematography, six short films by these cinematic pioneers.

But it was a portrait photographer called Harischandra Sakharam Bhatavdekar who made Indian ‘motion picture' history. His short ‘reality’ film screened in 1899 was called The Wrestlers and was a simple recording of a local wrestling match.

It was only after the turn of the century that Indian entertainment underwent a sea change when the Father of Indian Cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, released his path breaking film of the Silent Era, Raja Harish Chandra. The film, based on a mythological character, was released in 1913 and was India’s first full-length feature film. Yes, Bollywood had finally arrived!

The growth of technology and the excitement it generated the world over eventually gave birth of India’s first ‘talking and singing’ film – Alam Ara made by Ardeshir Irani and screened in Bombay in 1931.

Finally, India’s actors had found a voice. They could talk, they could shout, they could even cry, and they could do one more thing – sing for their audiences! It was a gift that remains the signature of the quintessential Hindi film to date.

Developments in the world of Indian cinema were rapid and the 1930s and 1940s saw the rise of film personalities such as Debaki Bose, Chetan Anand, S S Vasan and Nitin Bose, among others.

In the meantime, the film industry had made rapid strides in the South, where Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films were taking South India by storm. By the late 1940s, films were being made in various Indian languages with religion being the dominant theme.

Golden Age

India’s struggle for independence in the 1950s finally parted the curtain on the Golden Age of Indian cinema. This historic period provided a strong impetus to the industry, with themes changing to social issues relevant at the time. Sure they were entertaining but the movies were now also a potent medium to educate the masses.

But it was the Golden Age – 1950s and 1960s – that produced some of India’s most critically acclaimed films and memorable actors of all time. Among those in Bollywood’s hall of fame are Guru Dutt, Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Balraj Sahani, Nargis, Bimal Roy, Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Dilip Kumar.

So while the Guru Dutts and Bimal Roys held audiences in a trance, Indian cinema moved one step further with the release of K Asif`s Mughal-e-Azam in 1960. The film kick started a trail of romantic movies all over India.

While Indian commercial cinema enjoyed popularity among movie-goers, Indian art cinema did not go unnoticed. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ritwik Ghatak, Aravindan, Satyajit Ray, Shaji Karun and several other art film directors were making movies that took India to international fame and glory.

The Masala Movie

The masala film – the quintessential Bollywood entertainer – burst onto the scene only in the 1970s. And audiences were enthralled by the histrionics of actors such as Rajesh Khanna, Sanjeev Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Tanuja and others.

This was Bollywood’s heyday, a time when director Ramesh Sippy gave us his iconoclastic Sholay (1975). The film, which has been internationally acclaimed, also clinched the title of ‘superstar’ for Amitabh Bachchan, who already had well over 30 films under his belt by then.

The 1980s saw the rise of several woman directors such as Aparna Sen, Prema Karnath and Meera Nair. It was also the decade when sultry siren Rekha wooed audiences with her stunning performance in Umrao Jaan (1981).

Technology Rules

The 1990s ushered in a mixed genre of romantic films, thrillers, action movies and comedy films. Gradually, the face of Indian cinema was changing once again. Technology now gave us Dolby digital sound effects, advanced special effects, choreography and international appeal. This brought investments from the corporate sector along with finer scripts and performances.

It was time to shift focus to aesthetic appeal. And stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Rajnikanth, Madhuri Dixit, Aamir Khan, Chiranjeevi, Juhi Chawla and Hrithik Roshan began to explore ways to use new techniques to enrich Indian cinema with their performances.

Global Appeal

Indian cinema finally found global mass appeal at the turn of the 21st century. As the world became a global village, the industry reached out further to international audiences.

Apart from regular screenings at major international film festivals, the overseas market contributes a sizeable chunk to Bollywood’s box office collections. Investments made by major global studios such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros was confirmation that Bollywood had etched itself on the global psyche.

Prominent Indian corporate firms such as Zee, UTV and Adlabs also jumped onto the Bollywood bandwagon, to both produce and distribute films. This coupled with the multiplex boom across India made fame and fortune soar to new heights.

Such was the excitement in the industry that by 2003, as many as 30 film production companies had been listed on the National Stock Exchange.

Cinema in India remains the single largest entertainer to date. And despite technology such as Direct-to-Home TV bringing the movies straight into the living room, the marquee still rules.

Second only to cricket – or is it the other way around? – is the Indian obsession with Bollywood. The glitz, them glam, the masala movie, the melodrama. And the aspirational lifestyles portrayed on screen took the masses by storm several decades ago and the craze is only getting stronger.

Fuelled by the obsession to ‘reach for the stars’, it seems it’s almost every Indian’s ambition to take a Bollywood tour, even if it means only a peep at the actors’ homes from the outside.

Not surprisingly, the famous Mumbai Darshan tour run by the State Tourism Department and private tour operators in Mumbai have a mini Bollywood tour on their itinerary. This usually includes a drive-by the homes of the big stars, including the Bachchans in Juhu, and Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in Bandra.

While Bollywood tours in Mumbai seem to satisfy some of this lust for our on-screen legends and newcomers alike, it’s not really enough. It only whets the appetite for more. What fans are really hankering after is a glimpse of their heroes and heroines in action. Oh, for a glimpse of the lovely Kareena Kapoor or action hero Akshay Kumar!

Well, much of the action takes place on the sets of studios, where a large percentage of films are shot. Unfortunately, there are no structured Bollywood tours in Mumbai except for one – Bollywood Tourism – that takes tourists on location.

Undoubtedly, the place to visit is Filmcity in Goregaon (East). Located in the lush green environs of Aarey Colony are more than 500 acres of land on which more than 40 film studios are located. However, Filmcity, which has hosted the sets and studios where mega-budget films such as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas and prime-time soaps and serials have been shot, is out of bounds to the public. The entire area is owned by the government and rented out to film and TV serial production companies for shooting purposes.

This indeed is Bollywood’s dream factory and a drive-through Aarey Colony is on every Bollywood tour itinerary. Another popular Bollywood tour destination is R K Studios in Chembur, the historic studio owned by the first family of Bollywood – the Kapoors.

Opened by Raj Kapoor back in 1951 and bearing his initials, this is another must-see in any Bollywood tour package. It’s where Raj Kapoor shot some of his famous movies such as Awara and Shri 420, pioneering productions that have a special place in the annals of Indian cinematic history.

Another, more recent destination, is N D Studio in Karjat on the outskirts of Mumbai. Located just off the Mumbai-Pune highway, the studio is about five years old and is home to the sets of the Hrithik, Aishwarya starrer Jodhaa Akbar This is another must-see on any Bollywood tour package in Mumbai.

The property also has chalets where actors can live on location during extended shootings, a large storage facility for props that can be reused, and a workshop where the components of the sets are prefabricated.

Permanent sets at N D Studio include the Jodhaa Akbar set and another one called Bombay Street. The latter was created for a movie called Traffic Signal, whose storyline revolves around the micro-economy that thrives around, well, the Mumbai Traffic Signal.

But how do Indian studios and Filmcity compare to those in Hollywood, world-class facilities such as paramount Studio, Universal Studio and Sony Pictures (which bought the historic MGM studio).

Unlike in Hollywood, studios in Mumbai are not open to the public for a Bollywood tour and the most one can hope to see are the gates. It’s strictly No Entry! But there’s one Bollywood tour package launched as recently as 2010 that has secured permission to take NRI and foreign tourists inside. Finally!

So for the first time, tourists will get an exclusive look at the inside of the Bollywood dream factory – where those notoriously melodramatic dream sequences are shot, where those hip-swinging love songs are enacted, where crocodile tears are shed over imaginary tragedies, and where the gods decide the fate of mere celluloid mortals.

But why would a busload of American, Belgian, English and German tourists opt for a Bollywood tour in Mumbai? Well for one, Bollywood has been the staple of the Indian diaspora across continents for a long, long time. So if SRK and Deepika Padukone were shaking a leg together in Om Shanti Om back home, the movie was also making waves in countries where large swathes of the Indian population have settled.

But there’s another phenomenon fast unfolding – the globalization of Indian cinema, making it popular among other ethnic groups as well. Admittedly, it’s recent but films like the Shah Rukh Khan starrer My Name Is Khan, Aamir Khan Starrer 3 Idiots and the Hrithik Roshan-Barbara Mori starrer Kites are designed to connect with an international audience.

And if there’s one film that’s probably done more than any other to put Bollywood and Mumbai on the world map its Danny Boyle’s multiple Oscar-winning Slum dog Millionaire.

Moreover, many Hollywood studios have been producing and distributing Bollywood productions in India and abroad for a few years now, investing astronomical sums in desi fare. These include the big American studious such as Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures and Disney.

With names like these muscling in on a slice of the massive Bollywood pie, there’s no looking back. If Indian tour operators were to tie up with these studios, it could bring in big business for Bollywood tours in Mumbai.

Finally, there’s the tried and tested outsourcing route. India is on the cutting edge of technology in various fiends and some of the film studios in Mumbai have the best to offer in terms of production and post-production facilities.

Some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters have used studios in Mumbai and Bangalore for animation and special effects including one of the largest-grossing movies of all time – Avatar.

Also, studios like N D Studio are offering on-location space to Hollywood producers and studios to shoot here, which means bits and pieces of Hollywood productions, could be filmed in and on the outskirts of Mumbai. Using these opportunities as a calling card, the time is ripe for a structured Bollywood tour package that would take foreigners inside Mumbai’s fast globalizing dream factory.

They call it the ‘world’s largest dream’ factory, a reference to the 1,000-odd films literally churned out by the Hindi film industry every year. And though films are shot both on location and on indoor sets, it’s a visit to Bollywood studios in Mumbai that brings home the true essence of the typical Hindi film and television serial.

R K Studio: There are many state-of-the-art Bollywood production houses in Mumbai, most of them family-run businesses. One of the oldest is R K Studio in suburban Chembur, opened by the legendary Raj Kapoor in 1951, it was here that the iconic filmmaker and actor shot some of his landmark films and gave the Hindi film industry some of its pioneering techniques.

The studio, still owned by the Kapoors – also known as the first family of Bollywood – is a must-see on any Bollywood studio tour.

BIG N D Studio: Another must-do Bollywood studio visit is a halt at BIG N D Studio, by far the largest studio property in Mumbai. Opened in 2005 by art director Nitin Desai, this studio is arguably home to the “longest studio floor space in Asia”.

BIG N D Studio is located on the outskirts of Mumbai and makes for an excellent half-day outing. The drive to Karjat, where the property is situated, is a soothing 90 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the metro, once you turn off the highway and leave the city.

Apart from its sheer size – 42 acres – what sets it apart from other Bollywood studios in Mumbai? Well, once dressed up by expert art and set designers, the property can masquerades as a wide range of locales, from India to Singapore, the Swiss Alps to the English countryside. Imagine the cost-savings for filmmakers!

BIG N D Studio is indeed an experience for the tourist keen to sample exactly how those dramatic sequences in a Hindi film are shot. Behold the Jodhaa Akbar set and be wowed. This once, like a few other ‘permanent’ sets here, was constructed for a movie by the same name and it recreates the grandeur of the Red Fort (Delhi), Agra Fort (Agra) and Amer Palace (Jaipur), all of them built to scale!

Enter ‘Bombay Street’ and you’re suddenly caught in a time warp. This is a typical street in the heart of Old Mumbai, where the houses are choc-a-bloc, tiny shops selling all sorts of goods and kitsch cram the streets, homely Irani-style cafes beckon, and a colonial-style traffic signal stops you dead in your tracks.

Like any premier Bollywood production house in Mumbai, BIG N D Studios offers the full range of post-production facilities, making it a one-stop shop for filmmakers. And with the property offering chalets to actors, the stars can live here during extended shoots rather than brave the daily commute from and back to Mumbai.

Some stars have found a way, albeit expensive, to beat the crowds. The studio has a helipad that is “frequently used” by the glitterati who need to jet set back to the city after the day is done.

Considering the size and range of facilities at BIG N D Studios, tourists get a panoramic view of how a typical Bollywood film is shot and processed under one roof. If you’re lucky, you might even catch some shooting action as well!

Filmcity: Shift venue to Filmcity in suburban Goregaon, Mumbai, and you’re transported to a very different world of film-making. Also called Filmstan, you’re in the middle of a green oasis – 1,287 hectares of forested land – also called Aarey Milk Colony after the government-owned dairy situated here.

Set up in 1949, Aarey is also a popular tourist spot and includes lakes, gardens, a nursery and an observation pavilion atop a small ‘hill’. The state government runs a school and a hospital on the property for the benefit of dairy workers. The government has also leased plots to various state and central government organizations and institutions in this no-development zone.

Balaji Telefilms: Among these leased plots are many film studios on the list of any Bollywood studio tour. So amid the mooing of cattle – there are 16,000 heads of cattle reared on 32 cattle farms at Aarey – step into the studios of Balaji Telefilms.

Affectionately dubbed Mumbai’s ‘largest soap factory’, Balaji Telefilms is a production house that churns out the largest number of TV serials, reality shows and, most importantly, TV soaps in the country.

Set up in 1994 by Jeetendra, Bollywood star of yesteryear, Balaji Telefilms is noted mainly for the creative talent of the actor’s daughter, Ekta Kapoor. The success of the production house lies in Kapoor’s uncanny ability to create serials that connect with the soul of various sections of the Great Indian Middle Class, whether mythological serials, cultural extravaganzas or sheer family and romantic dramas.

Yes, when you think of the quintessential melodramatic Indian TV soap, think Bajali Telefilms. Taking a Bollywood studio tour of one of the sets here is a precious experience. Sheer drama fills the air as the actors play their parts on sets of brocade, walls with loud colors and plush furniture meant to lend an aspirational touch.

Walk into another set and you’re in the living room of a feudal landlord, the mythological era of the Mahabharata or a 21st century love story of star-crossed lovers. When it comes to the Indian soap opera, Balaji Telefilms leads the way.

A household name for 16 years, Balaji Telefilms is known for its K-serials – yes, every serial began with the letter ‘K’, Though the management denies any numerological connection, the fact is that numerology and superstition play a significant role in Mumbai’s Tinsel Town – both film and television.

Whistling Woods: Also located at Aarey is Asia's largest film, television, animation and media arts institute or Whistling Woods International. Promoted by celebrated producer Subhash Ghai, also known as ‘The Showman’, Mukta Arts Ltd and Filmcity, Whistling Woods International is a premier film and television educational academy.

The institute, situated on a generous 20-acre campus, offers various courses for students looking to make a career in the highly technical and highly competitive world of film and television.

So if it’s a day of drama you’re looking for, a Bollywood studios visit is the perfect choice. We, at Bollywood Toursim, offer a guided tour and give you an exclusive peek into a fantasy world that 1.5 billion Indians and millions of fans overseas are crazy about. It’s easy. Just log in and sign up. Or call us for a day of excitement and fun!

Story on picture of Mahabaleshwar .....

STORY

There was a man named Rohan who was a farmer and a businessman too, he was staying in Mahabaleshwar. He had no sense of dressing and wife is an illiterate, she is a house they had no children, one day the man came to home and had a big fight with his wife on coming late home evening and that to drunk. He beats his wife and again in lot of angriness goes back to have some more liquor.

The next day the man wake up in the morning and asks his wife for a cup of tea and notices that his wife is nowhere near and finds her a lot but don’t find her at all.

The women leaving mahabaleshwar on the bicycle of her for her home in nearby during the journey on highway she came across an accident and not able to find a way to get up and as the accident took place the vehicle who happens to be the victim runs away from there and help her or inform the same to anybody.

Again to the main finding his wife asking for her nearby in the localities and colony. Informing the police, about her not finding anywhere and getting her. The hunt for her started and finally after the highway valley hurting and affected herself a lot with no mercy at all.

Holds the wife and picks her up and leaves the bicycle behind thinking that is a “Panauti” for his family. He finally these days not finding her he also had a nightmare and realised about how important she is in his and his family’s life and came back home happily.

He had a baby within a year and that was a girl. He named her Ahana. They stayed happily forever since then.

Life in Pune as a student..........

FEATURE

This is what everyone asks me when i meet them back in Surat.

“How is student life in Pune?”

So friends i thought of sharing my experience as a student in Pune.

I started my journey from Surat where i spent my whole life thinking about the college life, as i ended up with my 12th board in march i had to search out for any college outside Surat as there was no good colleges in there for media and entertainment studies, i came across a college called CENTUM U spending their branches in India as media college so i submit a form in the college for my admission and as expected was called by the centum employer from Delhi and given an option of Mumbai and Pune campus to choose.

I chose Mumbai as it was near and i had many relatives in there and gave my interview in a huge college named Whistling Woods International in Film city. But as there were only 2 students for this course in Mumbai campus they shifted me and the other guy to Pune campus as unexpected.

First there was difficulty hunting for paying guest accommodation in Pune as there was no hostel facility by the college, there was a room which was free and we liked to stay there but there was a problem with the owner as he only wanted girls in his house we did not get that accommodation. Our hunting went on in that locality called Saina pati Banat Road near symbiosis college, ahhhh we got another PG in Mangalwadi and it was a nice room as we decided to stay in there, paid our rent in advance of 6 months. It was too expensive but as there was no other PG's available we started adjusting ourselves.

There was a problem of the food in the initial stage of college life and had to go and spent lot to eat something which is unhygienic to health. As the days progressed we got to know that there was a Dabba facility in Pune who supply food. We started by subscribing the dabbawala for night time only as we stayed the whole day in college.

As we were not settled in the city as such i decided not to buy a new bike for myself and used the local transport of autos, as the college was only 2KM away from room. I use to pay the auto wales 40 a day which was expensive for me at the beginning.

We stayed in college from morning 9 to 6 in the evening, which was as hectic for me as we were not exposed to such environment in our life. As we return from the college after that hectic schedule we feel asleep and lie down on bed.

Besides the hectic schedule in the college we are bagged by many tough assignments even when the professor is out of station for some festival and have to deal with them the same day.

The life in Pune is so difficult to pay off as a student, but this city has been blessed by god with a great weather, greenery, locations, cultures, food, and many traffic rules which the Punewala follow is so amazing as compared to Surat.

However there were many days when i missed my parents a lot in the initial stage and even now i miss them a lot. If I have been send by my parents for my dreams to fulfill I should fulfill the trust of them in my life.

I miss my sister and my friends a lot as they were very close to my heart and I use to share everything to them and they use to spend a lot of time with me asking and solving my problems as if they could do so for me.

But as all say “For achieving something in life we should sacrifice a lot”.

So am I doing that that’s what I ask to me every day and I get confused about the answer for this but I think I must go on with the life as it offers to me. I am not happy with the college atmosphere but then also I am so busy that I am not thinking of all those.

“If you live, lead a happy life whenever you stay”

These are my inspirational words from my parents which gives me the courage to do something and achieve what I want in my life.

It’s hard to pay as a student of hostel life.