Salaam Namaste, Melbourne and Cosmopolitanism

Australian film, tourism and trade commissions share with their global competitors a desire to attract Bollywood overseas filming. The USA and UK have an overwhelming advantage in attracting Indian filmmakers because of the range of iconic backdrops they can offer, but they do not have control of the market and despite the lure of New York and London, Indian producers have been tempted by other global cities. Toronto, like Sydney, has appeared frequently since the mid 1990s and, more recently, Singapore and Bangkok have both attracted a number of productions. The demand by Indian audiences for fresh locations means that producers are always searching for new settings, such as Budapest in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Greece in Chalte Chalte (2003) and St Petersburg in Lucky: No Time for Love (2005).