Priya Pathiyan
Deputy Editor
Seeing is wishing. We often find ourselves imagining visiting that alpine valley, winter wonderland, or golden beach that we saw in a film, series, or even on social media.
Yash Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and other films that followed made Switzerland the go-to destination for Indians to flock to en masse. Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel dancing in Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai two decades ago and the family drama of Dil Dhadakne Do in 2015 taking place on a cruise ship set the stage for cruise travel becoming so popular.
Udaipur got onto the tourist map after it featured in the 1983 Bond film Octopussy starring Roger Moore, while in 2021, the 25th Bond film — No Time to Die — with Daniel Craig brought in focus the Italian town of Matera.
As much as one viewer asks the other about the actors onscreen, it has become just as common for us to wonder out loud where the scene has been shot. One of our most popular stories on TravelDine yet was the one where we delved into the location for Aranyak, the OTT series starring Raveena Tandon, set in the fictional Himachali town of Sironah.
When Dhruv and Kavya, the couple from Little Things went to Kochi, Alapuzha, and Munnar for the last season, we watched enthralled even though we suspected it was a plug by the tourism board. Emily in Paris was as much about discovering aspects of the city as it was about her fashion faux pas and the American POV. The filming locations for Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon engendered great curiosity about and a tourist influx into hitherto less explored spots in Croatia, Morocco, Portugal, and Northern Ireland.
Series such as Virgin River (pictured in picturesque British Columbia, Canada), Broadchurch (showcasing the beauty of Dorset, England), Shetland (in the British Shetland Island archipelago close to the Scottish border), and the Icelandic Trapped (shot in the Saudarkrokur region) flogged the fabulous locales no end, making you sigh over the sheer beauty despite the drama and crime.
I’ll admit — one of my guilty pleasures is watching inane romcoms. The ludicrous plots and laughable ‘acting’ are forgiven because the backdrop is the real eye candy.
For example, Love in the Villa gives you an intimate insight into the Italian town of Verona, Peruvian film Without Saying Goodbye takes you to the heights of Machu Picchu and the beaches of Puno, and A Perfect Pairing brings you views from an Australian sheep ranch and vineyard. There are hundreds of others like these, and each takes you on a wonderful mini vacay that makes you yearn for the real deal.
Our video this week taps into this tendency, featuring the super popular hotel in scenic Gulmarg — The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, which was part of the season finale of Masaba Masaba. When I stayed there for the shoot, I wasn’t aware that the room that I occupied was the very same one that fashion designer Masaba Gupta did. And while I didn’t have the doorway drama she had to deal with, I can vouch for the splendid view being pretty thrilling, and the gorgeous in-room breakfast eminently more satisfying!