Shimla scales high on Bollywood’s maps!

Move aside Switzerland and make way Kashmir for Shimla, as that’s where filmmakers are increasingly heading to shoot their films. Not just that, the beautiful hill-station up in the North is also being explored for various commercial prospects by the industry folks. Here’s taking a look at some of the films and ventures that Shimla will soon witness.

Aaj Kal

Kartik Aryan and Sara Ali Khan will be travelling to Shimla to shoot the last schedule of the sequel to Love Aaj Kal very soon. The film is directed by Imtiaz Ali, who loves shooting in Shimla. He has previously shot his film Tamasha with Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor there at locations like Jakhu Temple, Summer Hill and Toy Train. He also shot Jab We Met at Mall Road, Mountain Railway and Summer Hill.

Laal Singh Chaddha

Aamir Khan will start shooting for the official Hindi remake of Forest Gump in Shimla soon. It is learnt that the actor plans to take the film on floor in September and most of the film will be shot there. Aamir has also bought a plot of land in Himachal Pradesh and will be constructing a set to shoot his new film.

Dushman producer opens a cafe in Shimla

Film producer Vinay Bhardwaj, who has produced films like Dushman, Marksheet andGod of Cricket, has opened a café in Shimla. Bhardwaj, who is also a close friend of Mahesh Bhatt has made sure there is a special cappuccino named after Mahesh Bhatt.

Café Shimla Heart is a full-service restaurant/cafe located in Sanjauli near Shimla. The restaurant features a full menu of moderately-priced ‘comfort’ food influenced by fast-food, Indian, Chinese and continental cooking traditions, but based on time-honored recipes from around the world. The cafe section of Magic Mountain Hospitality Group features a coffeehouse with a dessert bar, magazines, and space for live performers.

Boosting filmmaking in Himachal Pradesh!

To promote Himachal Pradesh as a favorite and major destination for promoting filmmaking, a Film Tourism Policy is on the anvil which would not only give fillip to tourism industry but would also facilitate film activities in the state. Single window clearance system has been set up to assist the filmmakers for granting the shooting and building permissions, law and order-related issues and movement of equipment at their level.

The state had already been organising film festivals and other film-related activities in and around Shimla from time to time. The state government was pursuing the matter with the Government of India for getting the air strips at Shimla, Kullu and Dharamshala extended and upgraded besides operationalising regular flights which would provide added facility for film production and would boost tourism in the state.