‘God’s own country’ lures Bollywood away

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Alappuzha (Kerala), April 29: The sylvan setting of water-logged Kuttanad in Kerala has become a favoured location for film shooting, especially for song-and-dance sequences of big-budget movies.

Over the year, at least 12 films, including a couple of Bollywood moveis, had been shot partly in Kuttanad with its vast stretches of paddy fields, coconut gardens, house boats and home stays giving a panoramic touch to picturisation.

Besides the visual appeal of the exotic locale, lake cruises and rice-and-fish Kuttanad cuisine offer some relief to the overworked artists after their hectic indoor shooting, according to local production organisers.

'Style prince' Rajanikanth is scheduled to have a shooting session in Kuttanad for his new film Kuselan next month, the local production manager for the movie A. Kabeer said.

'The film is mostly shot in a studio in Hyderabad but an important song-and-dance sequence featuring about 90 dancers is to be picturised here", Kabeer said.

The Bollywood films to which Kuttanad served as location included Tashan and a couple of Telugu and Bengali and Punjabi production units have also shown interest in Kuttanad, he said.

The film shootings bring some supplementary income to the common people in the area at a time when its agriculture and fishery activities were facing a grim crisis.

"Not only big players in hospitality industry, but small and micro ventures like home-stays and catering units also benefit from the film-shooting," a tour operator said.

While super stars and directors mostly stay in big resorts, home-stays accommodate supporting cast and the downline crew.

The local oarsmen and rowers of the area, known for its snake boat races, also get some extra cash as they are in demand for scenes featuring floatilla of country boats.

The local people often get money for renting out their paddy fields or coconut gardens for filming. Washed by placid Vembanad Lake in the heart of Alappuzha district touching Kottayam and Pathanamthitta, Kuttanad had been renowned as Kerala's 'rice bowl.'

But much of its importance as a paddy belt has been on the decline over the years, due to a host of reason including environmental degradation.