Reality may sound mundane and boring, One fine day Nisha Aggarwal decided to trespass her self -defined “routine” boundaries and escape into a different space, Ramoji Film City. She not only felt the joy of evading her “sincere” “disciplined” side but also explored the whimsical fantasy world.Here is her journey of courage and living a “different” reality through the reel.
Sitting silently doing something can bring a sense of satisfaction to a workaholic. But making loud noises and disturbing others brings what? Punctuality of time and work leads to an apt path. Regularity and consistency enhances the skills you try for. But can a little ‘bunk’ add more energy to routine work? I never thought of. Today being a teacher I see the most intelligent and determined children ‘bunking’ the classes sometimes, I observe them and analyze their personality. Then I juxtapose my student days to theirs. I strongly feel that I missed something back in my childhood. How the impish acts and pranks could add interest to life. But it needs a lot of courage to conquer the boundaries of ‘sincerity’ and ‘seriousness’, especially to someone who has not felt the need of such small pleasures; because a sense of sincerity brings a sense of fear too.
Carrying all this in mind and demanding a small change in routine I thought of to go somewhere, I could forget the ‘realistic’ world around me. But when you don’t have any leave at credit and many written rules in hand, you may find it ‘inaccessible’ to visit a place in desired time, a side effect of employment. But then you wish to run away from your own discerning capacities, just to hear a sprouting sound in some corner of your heart. The worries of the result of your act also become passive. I decided to shed all the ‘work worries’ and ‘bunk’ for a day long ‘dream world’ visit. A dream world exists in realistic world of complexities, I had heard from people around me. It is situated near Hayathnagar in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India and is known as ‘Ramoji Film City’.
Ramoji Film City is the land of a million dreams, where comprehensive and world-class film making facilities await dream merchants for a celluloid journey. The sprawling 1666 acre Ramoji Film City is the largest integrated film city in the world, and is certified by the Guinness World Records. Indian film producer Ramoji Rao, head of Ramoji Group, owner of Eenadu TV and its 12 channels, opened the studio in 1996. It was an outcome of the Ramoji Group’s association with Indian Cinema through Usha Kiran Movies. According to Rao, his offerings are far cheaper and more productive than any in Mumbai, therefore has much scope of growth.
Over 80 films in several languages such as Telugu (in bulk), Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, and Gujarati have produced here. It has had a couple of international productions also, but it is said that there was some hesitation after 9/11 because of the reputation for terrorism in Hyderabad. TV commercials and serials are also produced here every year. This massive dreamscape is vibrant with flamboyant locales, picturesque avenues, make-believe sets and outstanding film-making infrastructure. It provides all the production services at one place including production paraphernalia, audio and video post-production lab, film-lab, high-end technology, state of the art cameras, set designs, costumes, props and above all, locations. It has enough infrastructures to host 200 productions a year and an unlimited number of TV programs.
It makes the studio a paradise for filmmakers, which later on opened for tourism also. So, today it’s a fore point attraction spot for tourists, which offers holiday packages, health clubs, spas, multi-cuisine restaurants, playing and amusement initials for children, honeymoon couples, theme parties, provision for special and corporate events, weddings with ‘innovative mandaps’ and so on. There’s a three-star hotel ‘Tara’ and a five-star hotel ‘Sitara’ located at the entrance of the Film City, where one can stay and experience the life of a film star for a day or two.
The Film City provides a day long bus-tour to all the sets and major attractions, guided by a trip-guide. The sets catch the eye from both sides of the ways as the bus drive down the immaculate roads. Atop a hill is Hawa Mahal for romantic shots and fantasy Street for honeymoon scenes and the terraced Mughal Gardens with fountains forms a regal ambience. A replica of Tajmahal of Agra with its capacity of changing colors, the golden temple of Amritsar and Red fort of Delhi is also in Hyderabad. An airport with a replica of an aircraft, a railway station with a train where crowds can be drummed up, a bazaar, a village backdrop, atmospheric Kerala homes, a hospital, a central jail, a post office, Greek and Roman statuary, and Konarak-style grandiose statues of buxom Indian women.
There is a temple (‘godless temple’, said the guide, as directors can bring in their own gods’), the mosque, the palace and a South Indian market. A replica of London’s Princess Street For ‘foreign shots’ (‘front side London, back side India’), Landscaped gardens against elegant Rajasthani-style architecture (for marriages of the wealthy) and animals carved out of bushes, a Japanese garden (for aesthetics and meditation), and an Arizona garden full of sand for sad scenes. And then there is the tree-lined ‘national highway’ where one can shoot (especially at night) some of the basic stuff of Indian cinema for instance car accidents, kidnappings, hijackings, chases, bomb blasts and terrorist attacks. All these are ready-to-shoot options, but a filmmaker needs to pre-book the location for desired additions.
After the bus-trip to film sets Ramoji Movie Magic gives an ‘audio-visual illusion of reel world’ and you can be a part of special effects. An auditorium is also there where dance and music performances can be enjoyed. The Ramoji Film City includes 500 set locations ranging from the American West to the Indian East, and 50 studio floors. It all goes to support the suggestion that the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad can even outdo Universal Studios in America when it comes to sheer size and scope. I can say that taking a Ramoji Film City tour is one of the more quirky things to do which provides fun and comprehensive experience for the day-tripping traveler.
Although a complete visit to the studio is not possible in a day, it require weeks of dedication. A day-tripping allows you a glimpse into various parts of the filmmaking process. Vintage coaches carry you around the various sets and studios, with a tour guide offering a convivial narrative as you go.
I can say that I have been to a dream world within this realistic world, a world of ‘Reel’ within a world of ‘Real’.
