The ideal Indian villages have frequently played a key role in our films. Bollywood loves to set its films in the heartland of India, exploring rural locales, characters and circumstances. We take a look at some of the most eminent villages shown in Indian movies.
Kolipad in Iqbal (Tenali in Andhra Pradesh)
Shreyas Talpade struggled his way into the Indian cricket team from the village of Kolipad in the inspiring story of Iqbal, which received a lot of critical praise. Kolipad was in fact set in a placed called Tenali in Andhra Pradesh, close to Guntur and Vijayawada, and well-known for its many temples.
Charanpur in Swades (Wai in Maharashtra)
Charanpur, the village in which SRK came back to from the US, was in fact set in the district of Wai in Maharashtra, approximately 80 km away from Pune. Wai is illustrious for its large number of temples and bountiful ghats.
Budbuda in Billu (Pollachi in Tamil Nadu)
The charming village of Budbuda, where Irrfan Khan lived, was in fact a place called Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, situated approximately 40 km south of Coimbatore. Pollachi is famous for its Aliyar Dam as well as the nearby hill station, Valparai.
Champaner in Lagaan (Kanuria in Gujarat)
For the village of Champaner in Lagaan, Ashutosh Gowariker selected an ancient village called Kanuria, just outside Bhuj in Gujarat. With its grimy and arid landscape, this offered the wonderful location for the movie, which went on to gain iconic position in Bollywood.
Ramgarh in Sholay (Ramnagara in Karnataka)
With his ‘Kitni Aadmi The?’ and ‘Holi… Kab Hai Holi?’ Gabbar Singh terrorised an whole cohort of Indian cinema watchers in the imaginary town of Ramgarh in Sholay. Ramgarh was in fact set in a place called Ramnagara in Karnataka, 50 km away from Bangalore, well-known for its Chunchi Falls and granite hills.
Sundarapandianpuram in Roja (Courtallam in Tamil Nadu)
There are few Indian film-lovers who were not charmed by the simple attractiveness of ‘Dil Hai Chhota Sa’ from Roja. Some of the dazzling waterfall scenes were shot in a place called Courtalam in Tamil Nadu, also known as ‘the Spa of South India’ for the large number of waterfalls in the area.
