New Delhi: Kathryn Bigelow and her 'The Hurt Locker' could have been a big thing for Hollywood but self styled patrons of Indian traditions and morality don't seem to care much about the Oscar winning director. Bigelow chose Chandigarh as the location of her forthcoming film 'Zero Dark Thirty' or 'ZD30' where the crew was recreating the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden was killed by the special US forces in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011.
Activists belonging to Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) stalled the shoot of 'ZD30'. Apparently they were upset with the fact that one of the prominent markets of Chandigarh was converted into the Pakistani city of Lahore. They are said to enjoy the support of local traders who were unhappy with the market being closed for eleven hours. The Urdu hoardings and Lahore number plates were also a source of concern for the VHP protesters.
The incident reminds about Aamir Khan and his 'Atithi Devo Bhav' campaign. What's the use of such campaigns and wasting loads of money on their promotions if the shooting is finally bound to be stalled?
Films have become important cultural barrages in the last decade. They are now capable of deciding the tilt of markets throughout the world. Global image of any country is more or less dependent on how the prominent western media sees it, and what could be more useful than Hollywood films to improve that image.
International audiences have still not forgotten 'Octopussy', 'A Passage to India', or 'Gandhi'. These are the films which have shown the changing pattern of Indian mindset over the years. Of course, this Osama film will not feature Chandigarh as an Indian city but still it will be helpful in bringing the city some fame in the Hollywood market, which very soon will start fetching money also.
Talking about the right to shoot after taking permission is not beneficial, simply because it's not happening for the first time. 'Water' has been a glaring example of this in the past.
Further many of the Western media houses see the protest in India as the protest by the Hindus, and such incidents will definitely hamper the business done by the Indian spiritual centers.
Freedom to shoot is something different and that will be decided by the concerned authorities but stalling shoot is an administrative failure. If it's so difficult to shoot in a well planned city like Chandigarh then how can we even think of generating revenues through the shooting of Hollywood films in relatively small towns?
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