South Africa, because of its scenic location is a favourite destination for shooting Bollywood movies. Durban, Capetown, Table Mountain, Camps Bay are some of the preferred locations for shooting movies.
Hotel Rwanda
In 2004, Johannesburg and the surrounding Gauteng countryside stood in for Rwanda in the harrowing true life story of hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina, who protected over a thousand Tutsi refugees from the Hutu militia during the massacres.
Directed by Terry George, and starring Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo and Joaquin Phoenix, the film collected three Oscar nominations amidst many other awards.
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Blood Diamond
South Africa stood in for Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war in gritty 2006 thriller, Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as South African mercenary turned smuggler, Danny Archer, and Jennifer Connelly. Directed by Edward Zwick and written by Charles Leavitt, not only was it a crackingly good thriller, but it did much to publicise the role that blood diamonds have played in conflicts across Africa.
It collected many awards including 5 Oscar nominations. With much of the filming in and around Cape Town, other African locations included Kwazulu Natal, Port Edward and Mozambique.
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Racing Stripes
Very different in feel is this charming 2005 children’s tale about an abandoned zebra who is brought up amongst thoroughbreds and believes he is a racehorse. Helped by a teenage girl and the various farmyard animals he sets out to prove himself.
Directed by Frederik du Chau, with voices by Frankie Muniz, David Spade and Snoop Dogg, it is a lovely feel-good family movie, parts of which were filmed in Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu Natal.
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Lord of War
A sweeping international thriller, this 2005 epic follows the chase as Interpol tracks down global arms dealer, Nicholas Cage. He reflects back over his life with Cape Town and its surrounds standing in as locations for everywhere that wasn’t the US or Europe – a staggering 57 different locations from Afghanistan to the Middle East, Sierra Leone and Bolivia.
Directed and written by Andrew Niccol, the film also stars Ethan Hawke and Jared Leto.
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Cocktail
Tapping into South Africa’s varied experiences, Cocktail released in 2012 features three friends in the movie – Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty, visiting Cape Town for a holiday together, which also marks a turning point in the movie’s plot.
One of the main movie soundtrack songs, an upbeat dance number called ‘Tumhi ho Bandhu’, was shot at a specially created set at Maidens Cove, against spectacular views of Table Mountain, Camps Bay and the Twelve Apostles mountain peaks.
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Race
A movie directed by Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla & Mastan Alibhai Burmawalla staring Saif Ali Khan, Bipsha Basu & other renowned co-stars was an excellent movie showing the hidden part of South Africa i.e. Durban & in Cape Town.
The movie has not only amazing scenes of the Race Courses but also of the night clubs in South Africa. The storyline revolves around the two brothers who own a huge farm in South Africa & the feud that follows over the family wealth.
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