Top 5 Hindi movies shot in Ooty
August 7, 2025
Credit: IMDb
Several hit films and songs, including the iconic track Chaiyya Chaiyya have been shot in Ooty. Here are 5 top films that have been shot across the scenic beauty:
Did you know that Ranbir Kapoor's critically acclaimed film was shot in Ooty? Several scenes of Barfi were shot in Ooty's Pine Forest. One of them was Ranbir and Ileana's bicycle scene.
Barfi
The comedy film had significant shooting in Ooty. It's song Ello Ello and the memorable bus journey to the hill station were filmed in Ooty's scenic Nilgiri hills.
Andaaz Apna Apna
The scene where Ranbir's character proposed to Jenny aka Katrina Kaif amid a beautiful lake is shot at Ooty's Pykara lake. Several famous heritage spots of Ooty were also seen in many scenes.
Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahaani
The song Pehla Nasha was shot at Ooty's Western Catchment area.Jo The film was shot at several other locations across the hill station.
Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar
The summer camp scenes in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai were shot at Ooty's Wenlock Downs. The picturesque landscape proved to be an ideal setting for the particular sequence in the film.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Which film do you think captured the scenic beauty of Ooty beautifully?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
19 minutes ago
- India.com
Not Mirzapur, not Panchayat, not Gullak, this TV show still reigns with a 9.4 IMDb rating, its name is...
The rise of OTT has changed how India watches stories. You can call it a 'cinema in your pocket' — a moving theatre where both the latest blockbusters and timeless classics play at your convenience. Platforms have found fame mostly through original web series. From Mirzapur and The Family Man to Panchayat, Sacred Games, and Gullak, the list of binge-worthy hits is long — and all enjoy glowing ratings. Yet, buried deep in this streaming race lies a surprise — a decades-old TV show that still beats them all in audience love and critical acclaim. IMDb has stamped it with a score so high, even today's best titles fail to match it. Which show has this unbeatable legacy? The answer takes us back to 1986, when Malgudi Days first aired on Doordarshan. Based on R.K. Narayan's simple yet soul-stirring short stories, this series had a modest start — shot on borrowed funds, carrying the warmth of small-town India. Viewers loved it so deeply that the makers not only recovered every rupee of debt but carved an unshakable place in Indian television history. Behind the lens and the magic The first three seasons were directed by the late Shankar Nag, with the fourth handled by Kavitha Lankesh. The English version had 13 episodes, while the Hindi one stretched to over 50. Season one and two each had 13 episodes, while the final season added 15 more. And the numbers? IMDb rates Malgudi Days at a remarkable 9.4 — higher than Panchayat, Gullak, Mirzapur, or The Family Man. Cast, characters, and more The show's cast was a strong blend of talent — Girish Karnad, Anant Nag, and many more. But the heart of it all was 'Swami,' played by Master Manjunath, whose portrayal of an innocent yet spirited schoolboy became unforgettable. His charm pulled viewers into the slow, tender world of Malgudi. Such was the cultural impact that Indian Railways renamed Karnataka's Arasalu railway station to 'Malgudi Railway Station' as a tribute. The love for this world didn't fade with time. In 2020, a film titled Malgudi Days was released, written and directed by Kishor Moodbidri, and is now streaming on Amazon Prime. But for many, the original TV series remains unmatched — its pace, simplicity, and human warmth offering a sharp contrast to today's high-octane storytelling.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Inside Salman Khan's Raksha Bandhan celebration with sisters Alvira, Arpita and the entire Khan-daan. Watch
Many Bollywood celebrities have shared glimpses of their Raksha Bandhan celebrations on social media. Hindi cinema superstar Salman Khan also marked the festival at his sister Alvira Agnihotri's home. Alvira and her husband, Atul Agnihotri, hosted the Khan family for the occasion. Later, Atul took to social media to share photos from the celebration, in which Alvira was seen tying rakhi to her brothers Salman, Sohail and Arbaaz Khan. The pictures also capture Alvira and Atul's daughter, Alizeh Agnihotri, taking part in the festivities, tying rakhis on the wrists of her cousins Nirvaan and Arhaan, sons of Sohail Khan and Arbaaz Khan, respectively, as well as her elder brother, Ayaan Agnihotri. For the celebration, Alvira wore a pink kaftan dress, while Salman kept it casual in a black T-shirt and jeans. Apart from Alvira, Salman's second sister, Arpita Khan Sharma, was also present and tied rakhis to Salman, Arbaaz and Sohail. Salman's father, Salim Khan, and Helen were also part of the celebrations. Arbaaz's wife, Sshura Khan, who is currently pregnant with their first child, was seen at the gathering as well. A post shared by Atul Agnihotri (@atulreellife) Soon after the pictures surfaced, fans showered love on Salman Khan and his family in the comments section. One wrote, 'Bhaijaan looking damn handsome yrr 😍❤️', while another said, 'Beautiful family real people. 💐💐💐💐👌👌🙏🙏🤲🤲🤲❤️❤️❤️❤️' Earlier, actor Pankaj Dheer had lauded Salman for his devotion to his family. He told Lehren Retro, 'There is no better human being than Salman in the film industry. Vo bohot khoobsurat aadmi hai (He is a beautiful person). I don't have words to describe him. He is a different kind of kid. We can only salute him. Every time I meet him, I just hug him. He has given his everything to his family. He has such a big heart. He is a fantastic person.' On the work front, Salman Khan was last seen in Sikandar. He will next be seen in Apoorva Lakhia's Battle of Galwan, based on the Galwan Valley clashes at the India-China border in 2020. In the film, he will play an Indian Army soldier.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
What Sholay says about 1970s India
It was probably a coincidence that Sholay was released on Independence Day in 1975. But this does add a quixotic twist to the story we can call India after Sholay. Sholay produced a keyhole narrative about offence and vengeance in which there was no reference to any social-political context (Hindustan Times) The legend, as told in the film world, is that the film was already before the censor board when the Emergency was declared on June 25, 1975. In the version the censors first saw, Thakur, the chief protagonist of the film, kills the villain Gabbar Singh. This was unacceptable to the censor board — in keeping with the Indira Gandhi government's projection of the Emergency as a tool for restoring order and rule of law. The producers of Sholay changed the ending so they could get the censor board certificate. In the version we have been watching for 50 years, the climax of the film is that the police arrive just in time to, gently but firmly, persuade Thakur to not kill Gabbar. Bloodied and beaten, Gabbar is taken off to prison. Scholars of social history may well quarrel over whether the original version, with Thakur exacting vengeance, was more in sync with the mood of the times or whether it was a warning about where we were headed. In hindsight, those of us who grew up in the 1960s, can see Sholay as a landmark event in the decline of a social milieu in which reality was not a simplistic binary of good versus evil. Films about dacoits and other doers of bad deeds were commonplace. But it was Sholay that gave us a sociopathic villain whose cruel wit, brutal violence, and dramatic macho swagger resulted in iconic status. In later years, a popular brand of biscuits was actually advertised as Gabbar ki asli pasand (Gabbar's true preference), complete with a photo of the villain and his self-satisfied grin. However, Sholay did something much more insidious than make an evil character look cool. It produced a keyhole narrative about offence and vengeance in which there was no reference to any social-political context. Until then, filmi dacoits usually had a back-story that evoked the audience's compassion. In doing this, Hindi films were faithfully depicting a structural reality of the 1950s and 1960s — namely, of oppressed and traumatised peasants forced to take up arms and become dacoits out of desperation. Dilip Kumar's Ganga Jamuna, Sunil Dutt's Mujhe Jeene Do, and Raj Kapoor's Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai were made at a time when Vinoba Bhave and Jayaprakash Narayan were working on the ground for the surrender and rehabilitation of dacoits, who were mostly distressed farmers. Sholay provided no back-story for Gabbar — empathic or otherwise. Devoid of any socio-economic context, he is presented as pure evil — sadistic and maniacal. Thakur, as an honest and hard-working police officer-cum-landlord, captures Gabbar, but the prison system fails. Gabbar escapes, kills Thakur's family and cuts off Thakur's arms. Earlier, Hindi films critiqued the system of governance in order to project stories of rebellion or idealistic struggle. In the universe of Salim-Javed, the vastly successful duo who wrote the screenplay of Sholay, the governance system was invariably presented as defunct and worthless. This was offered as the justification for valorising vigilantism. In Sholay, there is no samaj (society) standing up together to fight evil. There is only Thakur's raw, personal need for revenge versus Gabbar as an individual. The urge to seek vengeance is indeed an atavistic human trait. This is precisely why much of India's pauranic tradition is devoted to helping us understand both the compelling reality of this urge and how we might process it in ways that don't leave everyone worse off. However, in the last five decades, a large volume of films has instead focused on revenge as personally satisfying and the only viable option. Society is depicted as having given up on the formal governance system delivering justice. In India after Sholay, the validation and celebration of vengeance, by individuals and collectives, became a cultural and political phenomenon. The lust for vengeance is no longer related to specific crimes against individuals. The political discourse, using digital era propaganda mechanisms, has generated collective forms of victimhood and projected vengeance as both natural and justified. This shift happened gradually, due to multiple reasons. It was not driven by cinema. But a wide variety of audio-visual media, including what currently purport to be news channels, do provide the drumbeat for what now appears to be a collective bloodlust. At times, this drumbeat can feel overwhelming. But it is still not the only reality. If we make the effort to listen carefully to the full variety of sounds and songs around us today, this will expand our mental space and perhaps even create some breathing space. In the relative calm of that space, we will be able to better cognise strivings based on compassion and reason. Then, justice rather than retribution can become not just attractive but possible. You could say that such defiant enthusiasm by itself cannot resolve the crisis of institutions and the justice system. True, but it is in fact energising countless efforts on the ground where highly talented people are working tirelessly to move the needle towards a humane rule of law. Such creative action is driven by a simple truth, however unpopular it might appear at present. Namely, mass acceptance of vengeance makes the restoration of the justice system increasingly difficult or even impossible. One way to counter this is to generate more public acknowledgement of the courage of otherwise unsung heroes and heroines on the ground. These are people who work doggedly for human rights and civil liberties — often at great risk as they grapple bravely with characters who could make Gabbar look tame by comparison. It might also help to watch the rejected original ending of Sholay, which can be found on YouTube. For, this version leaves us with some difficult questions. After Thakur succeeds in killing Gabbar, he crumbles to the ground, looking stunned. As Viru, the surviving hired gun, tries to comfort him, Thakur breaks down and sobs bitterly. The most obvious interpretation of this scene is that Thakur is finally able to let go and express grief and horror over the unspeakable cruelty inflicted upon him. But is Thakur also weeping because his victory somehow feels empty? Did eliminating Gabbar actually give Thakur the satisfaction he expected? What would have been the best application of the strength and resolve of a man of Thakur's calibre? When Sholay is re-released, again on Independence Day, we could just sit back and enjoy it as entertainment. But this need not prevent us from considering the above questions and pondering how, in real life, we might support true justice, which is a strength rooted in compassion. Rajni Bakshi is the founder of the YouTube channel Ahimsa Conversations. The views expressed are personal
