Bollywood’s Cape love affair
“GOING to miss the sun, sand and sea. #Cape Town has been mystical. One of the most beautiful places I have visited. #Until next time”, tweeted Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor after visiting the Mother City a few weeks ago. He is but one of many Bollywood celebrities who have taken to social media expressing their delight about Cape Town.
Anil was appointed the Global Brand Ambassador for South Africa in 2006 and at that time said, “I have travelled all over the world and met lots of people but South Africa occupies a special place in my heart. When I first went to Cape Town, I thought it was a slice of heaven on earth. The sheer beauty of the place mesmerises you. Moreover, the warmth and rich cultural history that is so intrinsic to the people of South Africa, is especially heart-warming. This honour is an extremely humbling experience for me. I will do everything in my capacity as Brand Ambassador for the promotion of South Africa”. Ten years on and he is clearly still in love with the city.
In 2014, both Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor and his then partner, the stunning Katrina Kaif, were in Cape Town to film for Jagga Jasoos. Images of them shopping at the V & A Waterfront also went viral on social media. Kapoor also posted pictures of himself with the crew enjoying local cuisine at a popular restaurant.
Akshay Kumar, who has filmed here many times, responded to a question about his favourite destinations in the Sawubona magazine by saying, “Goa’s one of the best places I’ve holidayed in. We also love New York, London, Rome and many other cities. However, there’s one very special place for me, Cape Town. I’ll use any excuse to shoot a film or TV show there, because it’s one of the most beautiful and vibrant places on the planet, especially for a family. Kumar was last here in 2015 to shoot scenes for Singgh is Bliing, the sequel to the box office hit Singh is Kinng. Footage of him performing with a lion, under the supervision of an animal wrangler, went viral on the internet. He has even named his production company Cape of Good Films. Kumar is so familiar with the city, he is rumoured to own property here, that he is known to drive his own vehicle to location. According to reports emanating from India, Kumar is headed to Cape Town this week with his wife and family to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights.
In August this year the leads of Half Girlfriend, Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoo took to Twitter to share their joy at being in the city. For Shraddha it was her second time after filming her debut film Aashiqui 2 in the Western Cape. Their pics showed them with co – stars and crew happily posing at various popular spots. Director Mohit Suri is also enamoured with the city and what it offers filmmakers. For Half Girlfriend, Cape Town doubled successfully as New York and parts of India.
The Saud Khan, Nirupama Rege and Hiren Joshi concert has been moved to Century City Conference Centre tonight and tomorrow night at 8pm.
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