This Article is From Sep 10, 2015

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil to Yuvvraaj: Bollywood Films That Were Shot in Austria

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil to Yuvvraaj: Bollywood Films That Were Shot in Austria

This image was posted on Twitter by @karanjohar

Vienna: Austrian capital Vienna is set to welcome a 73-member crew of filmmaker Karan Johar's upcoming production Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. The city hopes to emerge as the next big draw for Bollywood shoots. (Also Read: Ranbir, Anushka Begin Shooting KJo's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in London )

"It looks like Dharma Productions is visiting us from Oct 14-25 with a 73-member crew. They're in contact with our Embassy in New Delhi for visa formalities," an official from the Vienna Tourist Board, which is also facilitating the logistics, told IANS here.

"They have already been to shooting locales with the Vienna Film Commission - it's a complimentary service offered by the city to support national and global film and TV productions interested in shooting movies, documentaries, commercials and student films," the official added.

Officials said Dharma Productions, Karan Johar's production house, also has plans to shoot in Tirol, a state in Western Austria. When asked if the tourism team knew about Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, an official said, "I think it is a triangular love-break-up story."

The film is currently being shot in London.

Officials also revealed that Austrian President Heinz Fischer himself loved Bollywood films and was keen on more Indian films being shot in his country. From The Third Man to Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Vienna's stock as a film location is on the rise and the officials here hope the Indian film industry will see the merit in filming in its scenic and welcoming landscape.

The Viennese also take movie-making and screening seriously.

Since its first cinema hall opened in 1902, Vienna has 26 multiplexes and independent halls with 26,000 seats. There are also a host of art house cinemas. The Viennale film festival screens some 300 movies and documentaries over 14 days, attracting 100,000 domestic and overseas visitors.

Such has been the fan-following of films shot here that Vienna today also has a The Third Man Museum as a tribute to this landmark film with city also organising tours of key locations -- including a trip down the sewers. The 1987 James Bond thriller The Living Daylights, starring Timothy Dalton, featured a kissing scene on the city's landmark Giant Ferris Wheel.

In David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, actors Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender , who played psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were filmed eating Austrian dessert at the city's Cafe Sperl and taking a stroll through the grounds of the Belvedere palace.

The Simon Curtis-directed Woman in Gold is the latest film to have been shot in the city.

Starring Katie Holmes, Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds and Daniel Bruhl, the plot revolves around a Jewish art collector, Maria Altmann, who fights the Austrian government for nearly 10 years to recover an iconic painting of her aunt.

The Bollywood films which have been shot in Austria include Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein, Mast, Ab Ke Baras, Chal Mere Bhai, Albela, Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa, Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa and Yuvvraaj.

The city now hopes that Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which releases next year on Diwali, becomes a hit so that Bollywood comes calling.
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