Serial shooting in Turkey

Friday, July 13, 2007

After Europe, America and the Far East, Indian television and Bollywood has discovered a new site for its shoots --- the historic city of Istanbul, in Turkey.

The latest to drop by at the plush Park Hotel in the city were the cast and crew of television soaps Kasauti Zindagi Kay and Kkasam Se. Eight episodes of Kasauti have already been canned in the city. In return for footing the bill of the unit, the Turkish ministry expects that the picturesque scenes on screen will lure Indian tourists to the country.

Bollywood director Apoorva Lakhia (of Shootout at Lokhandwala fame) is also scheduled to shoot part of his forthcoming film Mission Istanbul in Istanbul . Last year, Mani Ratnam had visited the city with Abhishek Bachchan and Mallika Sherawat to shoot a scene in Guru.

While the beauty of the city has left the Indian visitors enthralled, the localites there are equally fascinated with Bollywood. Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was screened at 26th International Istanbul Film Festival in March-April on popular demand. Hope we Indians get to see more of Turkey on screen and off it, too.