We all have been in situations where we are sitting in a cinema hall, popcorn in one hand; An opening scene of a Bollywood movie unfolds where you see grand forts, palaces, and museums. You are captivated by the grandeur and “Google search” where exactly this place is. That’s the magic of the silver screen; it turns the architectural wonders into stars.
Let me take you on a journey through time and celluloid, where our beloved monuments became more than just tourist attractions – they became characters in their own right.
It all started with Actors “Raj Kapoor and Nargis”, in Barsaat, where the two danced around the Mumbai bringing the financial capital of India to life. Then came another iconic movie, "Dil Chahta Hai". That film didn't just give us friendship goals; it put Fort Chapora in Goa on every youngster's bucket list. Suddenly, sitting on those weathered walls overlooking the Arabian Sea became a rite of passage. I bet you've got a photo mimicking Aamir, Saif, and Akshay's iconic pose, right?
Bollywood didn't stop at the obvious choices, though they did strike gold with Agrasen ki Baoli! This step-well was constructed by Maharaja Ugrasen in the 14th century CE to serve as a water resource for Delhi. Forgotten for years, this baoli got the much-needed boost will Bollywood starting from Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom where Preity Zinta and Abhishek Bachchan shot the song “Bol na halke halke” which enthralled the audience. Aamir Khan and Anushka Sharma’s PK made the baoli more famous. Today, you’ll find half of Delhi bustling at Agrasen ki baoli with painters from Delhi College of Art taking the first row seats to paint the marvel.
And who can forget the grandeur of Rajasthan's forts? Movies like Jodha Akbar, and Bajirao Mastani turned Amer Fort into a living legend. The dance sequence where Mastani dances to welcome Basant Panchami in front of the king “depicted by actor Ranveer Singh” is beautifully depicted by actress Deepika Padukone. Sanjay Leela Bhansali re-created the Charbagh garden situated in the middle of the lake of Amer Fort. To add to this, Jhanvi Kapoor and Ishan Khatter’s Dhadhak highlighted the forgotten baolis and temples of Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaipur.
But it's not all about the big, famous monuments. Bollywood has a knack for finding beauty in the unexpected. Rajkumar Rao and Kriti Sanon’s Bareilly ki Barfi converted Bareilly into a tourist spot and gave it a much-deserved rise from a city in shambles to a city that is cleaner than most metropolitans.
Think about it. How many of us would have known about the Doraha Fort in Punjab if not for "Rang De Basanti"? That scene where Madhavan proposes to Soha Ali Khan? Pure cinematic gold, wrapped in layers of history.
But it's not all rainbows and dance numbers. Sometimes, Bollywood's love affair with our monuments has caused a bit of a headache for conservationists. Remember the uproar when a film crew accidentally damaged part of Amer Fort? It's a delicate balance – celebrating our heritage without loving it to death.
Yet, with all its flaws, Bollywood has managed to revive tourism at India’s forgotten monuments and also give history an explorative twist. It has called for that inquisitiveness to know the history behind these architectural wonders.
So, the next time you're watching a Bollywood film and spot a familiar monument, take a moment to understand its history; and the characters that unfolded in the bygone era. After all, in this block-buster movie of our lives; we are all stars and India’s architectural wonders are the feature sets.
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