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Indian cinema and Switzerland

January 01, 1970

Although Indian cinema has been shot in a variety of foreign settings, the use of Switzerland as a backdrop for many scenes in Indian cinema, especially Hindi films, has been particularly notable for its unusual prevalence, with the country being consistently featured and involved as a setting despite its relatively large distance and small size, lack of a significant diaspora population, and location outside the Anglosphere. This has been attributed to its natural beauty, particularly the snowy mountains of the Swiss Alps which are considered an exotic locale for much of India and are heavily featured in romantic scenes, that Indian filmmakers were looking for to replace Kashmir after the security situation there deteriorated. It is estimated that around 200 Indian films have been at least partially shot in Switzerland.

This phenomenon started in 1964 with the film Sangam, and some films followed in its footsteps through the rest of the decade. With the liberalisation of the Indian economy, there was a major boom in the use of Switzerland as a setting in the 1990s, with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and other Yash Raj films being considered the ones that cemented Switzerland in the Indian public. As the practice started to be perceived as cliche and Bollywood expanded its use of other locales, the use of Switzerland has since entered a decline. However, the Swiss government and tourism associations have successfully used these images of Switzerland to successfully promote travel from India, with financial incentives being offered for further productions to be filmed there and statues of Indian film personalities being built. Although Indians make a small share of tourism in the country, their numbers are growing rapidly, with "Bollywood tours" becoming popular throughout central Switzerland.

History edit

Snowy mountains have been a popular setting in Hindi cinema for romantic scenes and love songs, a tradition which Indologist Philip Lutgendorf states has its roots in the Hindu mythos of the mountains as a supernatural place that also serves at the "playground" of the immortals in love and lust, as well as stereotypes of the "liberalness" of mountain populations based on Indian perspectives of Kashmir and Nepal.[1] Traditionally, locations in India with the required terrain and climate such as Kashmir, Manali and Ooty have been used.[2] The first Indian film shot in Switzerland was 1964's Sangam. In the film, the protagonists go on a European honeymoon, visiting the Swiss Alps around Grindelwald and Interlaken while dealing with the tension of a love triangle.[3] The film was advertised as the first in Indian cinema with scenes in Western European places such as London and Venice along with Switzerland, and led to other films featuring international shots, with 1967's An Evening in Paris being filmed completely abroad, including in Switzerland.[2][4]

After 1970's Prem Pujari, the practice started to wane and went stagnant for the next two decades.[5] However, the same year, filmmaker Yash Chopra went to Switzerland on his own honeymoon. Inspired, he started working in the country into his own projects. The first film he shot in Switzerland was Faasle in 1985, but it was Chandni (1989) which truly implanted Switzerland in India's popular consciousness, as it was not only a major hit but also revitalized the romantic genre after a period of action dominance, giving the country and its scenery a romantic connotation for many Indians.[6][7] The same year, the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir began, making the area too unsafe for most film production. Combined with the liberalisation of the Indian economy, this led to the number of Indian film shoots in Switzerland reaching a high point in the 1990s, with over a dozen per year. The most famous film of the period was Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), which went on to become one of the most famous Bollywood films ever.[4][6][8] However, Switzerland started being perceived as cliche soon afterwards as audiences wished for more realistic stories and interludes, and has also faced competition from other destinations that are either closer to India or offering more financial incentives, so the amount of Indian productions filming there has dropped substantially, with only two to three a year in 2013.[6]

The overwhelming majority of Indian films filmed in Switzerland have been shot in the center of the country, mainly in the canton of Bern in places such as Interlaken and Gstaad.[9] A. S. Bhalla has suggested that may be due to the relatively accessibility of that region compared to southern Switzerland, which has similar scenery, and existing familiarity among Indian audiences crediting a feedback loop that results in new productions and tour agents ignoring lesser known sites.[5] Although other Indian film industries have also shot scenes in Switzerland, Hindi cinema's usage of the country is the most well known and studied.[10]

Impact edit

Through this exposure, Switzerland has been firmly placed in India's national popular culture, with Indian president Ram Nath Kovind proclaiming that "Bollywood has taken Switzerland to every nook and corner of India" on a 2019 visit to the country.[11] Through initiatives and promotions from the Swiss government and tourism companies, this popularity has been harnessed to fuel a small but quickly-growing Indian tourism in Switzerland through the last decade.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ Lutgendorf, Philip (2005). "Sex in the Snow: The Himalayas as Erotic Topos in Popular Hindi Cinema". Himalaya: The Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies. 25 (1). Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies: 29–38. ISSN 2471-3716. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b Rao, Shakuntala (2010). ""I Need an Indian Touch": Glocalization and Bollywood Films". Journal of International and Intercultural Communication. 3 (1): 12. doi:10.1080/17513050903428117. ISSN 1751-3057.
  3. ^ Chandrasekhar, Anand (18 June 2019). "On the trail of the first Indian film shot in Switzerland". Swissinfo. Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b Mansky, Jackie. "The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Bollywood". Smithsonian. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b Bhalla 2019, Indian Bollywood in Switzerland.
  6. ^ a b c Letzing, John (22 July 2013). "Bollywood's Big-Screen Love Affair With Switzerland Fades to Black". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 9 February 2021 – via www.wsj.com.
  7. ^ "Swiss tourism industry owes a debt to Indian actress Sridevi". Swissinfo. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Bollywood's long-standing love affair with Switzerland". House of Switzerland. Presence Switzerland. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Switzerland attempts a makeover to seduce young Indians". Swissinfo. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  10. ^ Rajan (17 December 2014). "50 years of Indian cinema in Switzerland". Newly Swissed. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Indian movies as effective as Google Maps in understanding topography of Switzerland: Kovind". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Swiss yatra". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 30 April 2021.

Bibliography edit

January 01, 1970
indian, cinema, switzerland, although, indian, cinema, been, shot, variety, foreign, settings, switzerland, backdrop, many, scenes, indian, cinema, especially, hindi, films, been, particularly, notable, unusual, prevalence, with, country, being, consistently, . Although Indian cinema has been shot in a variety of foreign settings the use of Switzerland as a backdrop for many scenes in Indian cinema especially Hindi films has been particularly notable for its unusual prevalence with the country being consistently featured and involved as a setting despite its relatively large distance and small size lack of a significant diaspora population and location outside the Anglosphere This has been attributed to its natural beauty particularly the snowy mountains of the Swiss Alps which are considered an exotic locale for much of India and are heavily featured in romantic scenes that Indian filmmakers were looking for to replace Kashmir after the security situation there deteriorated It is estimated that around 200 Indian films have been at least partially shot in Switzerland This phenomenon started in 1964 with the film Sangam and some films followed in its footsteps through the rest of the decade With the liberalisation of the Indian economy there was a major boom in the use of Switzerland as a setting in the 1990s with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge 1995 and other Yash Raj films being considered the ones that cemented Switzerland in the Indian public As the practice started to be perceived as cliche and Bollywood expanded its use of other locales the use of Switzerland has since entered a decline However the Swiss government and tourism associations have successfully used these images of Switzerland to successfully promote travel from India with financial incentives being offered for further productions to be filmed there and statues of Indian film personalities being built Although Indians make a small share of tourism in the country their numbers are growing rapidly with Bollywood tours becoming popular throughout central Switzerland Contents 1 History 2 Impact 3 References 4 BibliographyHistory editSnowy mountains have been a popular setting in Hindi cinema for romantic scenes and love songs a tradition which Indologist Philip Lutgendorf states has its roots in the Hindu mythos of the mountains as a supernatural place that also serves at the playground of the immortals in love and lust as well as stereotypes of the liberalness of mountain populations based on Indian perspectives of Kashmir and Nepal 1 Traditionally locations in India with the required terrain and climate such as Kashmir Manali and Ooty have been used 2 The first Indian film shot in Switzerland was 1964 s Sangam In the film the protagonists go on a European honeymoon visiting the Swiss Alps around Grindelwald and Interlaken while dealing with the tension of a love triangle 3 The film was advertised as the first in Indian cinema with scenes in Western European places such as London and Venice along with Switzerland and led to other films featuring international shots with 1967 s An Evening in Paris being filmed completely abroad including in Switzerland 2 4 After 1970 s Prem Pujari the practice started to wane and went stagnant for the next two decades 5 However the same year filmmaker Yash Chopra went to Switzerland on his own honeymoon Inspired he started working in the country into his own projects The first film he shot in Switzerland was Faasle in 1985 but it was Chandni 1989 which truly implanted Switzerland in India s popular consciousness as it was not only a major hit but also revitalized the romantic genre after a period of action dominance giving the country and its scenery a romantic connotation for many Indians 6 7 The same year the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir began making the area too unsafe for most film production Combined with the liberalisation of the Indian economy this led to the number of Indian film shoots in Switzerland reaching a high point in the 1990s with over a dozen per year The most famous film of the period was Chopra s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge 1995 which went on to become one of the most famous Bollywood films ever 4 6 8 However Switzerland started being perceived as cliche soon afterwards as audiences wished for more realistic stories and interludes and has also faced competition from other destinations that are either closer to India or offering more financial incentives so the amount of Indian productions filming there has dropped substantially with only two to three a year in 2013 6 The overwhelming majority of Indian films filmed in Switzerland have been shot in the center of the country mainly in the canton of Bern in places such as Interlaken and Gstaad 9 A S Bhalla has suggested that may be due to the relatively accessibility of that region compared to southern Switzerland which has similar scenery and existing familiarity among Indian audiences crediting a feedback loop that results in new productions and tour agents ignoring lesser known sites 5 Although other Indian film industries have also shot scenes in Switzerland Hindi cinema s usage of the country is the most well known and studied 10 Impact editThrough this exposure Switzerland has been firmly placed in India s national popular culture with Indian president Ram Nath Kovind proclaiming that Bollywood has taken Switzerland to every nook and corner of India on a 2019 visit to the country 11 Through initiatives and promotions from the Swiss government and tourism companies this popularity has been harnessed to fuel a small but quickly growing Indian tourism in Switzerland through the last decade 12 References edit Lutgendorf Philip 2005 Sex in the Snow The Himalayas as Erotic Topos in Popular Hindi Cinema Himalaya The Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies 25 1 Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies 29 38 ISSN 2471 3716 Retrieved 7 February 2021 a b Rao Shakuntala 2010 I Need an Indian Touch Glocalization and Bollywood Films Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 3 1 12 doi 10 1080 17513050903428117 ISSN 1751 3057 Chandrasekhar Anand 18 June 2019 On the trail of the first Indian film shot in Switzerland Swissinfo Swiss Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 6 February 2021 a b Mansky Jackie The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Bollywood Smithsonian Retrieved 7 February 2021 a b Bhalla 2019 Indian Bollywood in Switzerland a b c Letzing John 22 July 2013 Bollywood s Big Screen Love Affair With Switzerland Fades to Black The Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved 9 February 2021 via www wsj com Swiss tourism industry owes a debt to Indian actress Sridevi Swissinfo Retrieved 8 February 2021 Bollywood s long standing love affair with Switzerland House of Switzerland Presence Switzerland Retrieved 10 February 2021 Switzerland attempts a makeover to seduce young Indians Swissinfo Retrieved 8 February 2021 Rajan 17 December 2014 50 years of Indian cinema in Switzerland Newly Swissed Retrieved 8 February 2021 Indian movies as effective as Google Maps in understanding topography of Switzerland Kovind Business Standard Press Trust of India 12 September 2019 Retrieved 6 February 2021 Swiss yatra SWI swissinfo ch Retrieved 30 April 2021 Bibliography editBhalla A S 7 January 2019 Switzerland Then and Now Notion Press ISBN 978 1 68466 032 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Indian cinema and Switzerland amp oldid 1145461725, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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