JOY ROY CHOUDHURY – Kolkata
The annual tourism numbers of around four lakh domestic and 25000 foreign tourists in Darjeeling is slated to see an dramatic increase with the release of the film Barfi! The film was shot extensively in Darjeeling. The shooting locations included Sukna, Tindharia, Chowrasta, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Station at Ghoom, Windamere Hotel, Keventer’s and Planters Club.
Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Anurag Basu, director and writer of Barfi! Said, “With ‘Barfi!’, Darjeeling as a tourism as well as shooting destination will travel worldwide. I am happy both for ‘Barfi!’ and Darjeeling, as I could do something for the wonderful hill-station and its people. It has been a wonderful experience working in Darjeeling.”
Basu said that the film set in the 1970s has been able to successfully capture the true spirit of Darjeeling. “I believe that domestic tourists would come and go to Darjeeling but it would certainly help in drawing a huge number of foreign tourists to the region because I have been flooded with queries about the exotic locations featured in the film”, he added.
Barfi! is a remarkable thing that has happened to Darjeeling. With peace having been restored in the hills and all the stakeholders trying to re-establish Darjeeling’s brand image, Barfi! is a major breakthrough. It will definitely boost Darjeeling’s fortune as a tourism and shooting destination,” said Supratim (Raj) Basu, a tourism industry veteran and advisor to Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators’ Association. He added that few Bollywood production teams and a Hollywood production house have approached his company and evinced keen interest to shoot their films in Darjeeling.
