Ireland Goes Bollywood!

On my first day visiting the campus I noticed film crews setting up and extras lined up along the sidelines of the pavilion walkways. Turns out as I mentioned in my email yesterday there was a Bollywood movie filming on the TCD campus. Read below for details. 

I know Salman Khan - and so does everyone who saw the movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (dad that's the one where they go to the summer camp) Salman played the main girl Anjali's fiance in the second half of the film. Don't know who the lead girl is but it was fun to see them setting up. 

Here's the press release below from the Trinity website. 

Bollywood Stars to Film at Trinity College Dublin

Two of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan, will commence filming in Dublin this weekend for the first Bollywood blockbuster to be made in Ireland.  Filming of Ek Tha Tiger, a spy-thriller featuring the usual Bollywood elements of music and dance, will take place around Dublin city centre between Sunday September 11th and Saturday October 15th next.

The film’s storyline involves a world renowned scientist working at Trinity College Dublin who is suspected of selling missile technology secrets to Pakistan.  The Indian Government sends an Indian secret agent to find out about the Professor’s activities.  The agent, codenamed Tiger, falls in love with the Professor’s caretaker Zoya, who is studying at a fictional dance academy located at TCD, and together they embark on a rollercoaster journey that takes them from Dublin to Istanbul, Kazakhstan and Chile.

Speaking about the upcoming filming of the Bollywood production, Vice Provost for Global Relations at TCD, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer said: “Trinity College Dublin has longstanding links with India.  The filming of Ek Tha Tiger at TCD is a great opportunity for us to increase our understanding of modern Indian culture and live the Bollywood experience here at Trinity.  The College currently boasts a wide array of teaching and research relating to India along with growing numbers of students from South Asia.  Ek Tha Tiger not only gives Trinity a chance to showcase our magnificent campus to a huge Bollywood audience but also gives our Indian students a chance to catch a glimpse of two of India’s biggest stars in action here at Trinity College.”  Information relating to local restrictions during the filming dates at TCD is available online.

Produced by one of India’s most prominent film companies, Yash Raj Films, Ek Tha Tiger will be directed by award-winning Indian director Kabir Kahn.  The film is set to bring about €1.5m to the Irish economy and create over 1,000 short term jobs.  The film will be co-produced by Oscar-winning Irish company Fantastic Film and is expected to be released in June 2012.