10 Bollywood Movies Will Surely Inspire And Encourage You To Travel

Bollywood movies have always been our perfect escape from the mundane daily routine! The three hours that we spend in the air-conditioned confines of a theatre strangely liberate us and transport us into a world of glamour, fantasy and entertainment. A joy that can perhaps only be matched to packing your bags and setting off to explore new destinations that transport you to a world of leisure, relaxation and new experiences!

Well, Bollywood movies do more than just entertain! How many times have you seen movies and not been enthralled by the enchanting locations and picture-perfect landscapes that they are shot in? Sometimes, it’s not the story, not even the actors or the entertainment on the screen that we find ourselves falling in love with but the beautiful locales and destinations that we dream of travelling to, at least once in our lifetime.

Here is a list of 10 Bollywood movies that will surely inspire and encourage you to travel, explore and celebrate life at the destinations, they have been filmed in.

* Love Aaj Kal, 2008

Love sure travelled a lot of places in this one! The quirky romantic dramedy (drama-comedy) takes you on a whirlwind ride through London, Delhi, Kolkata, Punjab and even, San Francisco. The movie portrays its lead actors grappling with modern day commitment issues as they keep travelling and living far away from each other for the most part of the movie. It also has another flashback storyline which takes you to the villages of Punjab, the streets of Purani Dilli and gives you a glimpse of Kolkata. The modern-day characters fall in love with each other at London but amicably break up when careers take priority over everything else. One moves to Delhi while the other eventually move to San Francisco, but their connection remains strong as ever! With beautiful locales of London, charming streets of Delhi and the glorious sights of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, this movie definitely gives some serious travel goals to explore the world.

* 3 Idiots, 2009

Which pristine location comes to mind when you think of 3 Idiots? That’s right! The one & only, Leh Ladakh. This movie played an important role in popularizing the tourism of Leh Ladakh. The final climax of the movie, where Pia (Kareena Kapoor) finally meets Rancho (Aamir Khan) takes place on the banks of the Pangong Lake – a stunning Himalayan Lake that stretches between the expanses of two countries, India and China. The lake is well-known for its ever-changing shades of vibrant blue waters and the surrounding scenic landscapes that result in some unbelievable photographs. The movie made Pangong Lake so famous that most of the local eateries, small restaurants, hotels, lodges, camp stay along the banks are named after the movie title ‘3 Idiots’. The lake also features movie memorabilia where travellers can pose and get their pictures clicked, for e.g. the eco-friendly yellow scooter or the funny chair from the popular song, ‘Aal is Well’. Some scenes from the movie were also shot in Druk White Lotus School which is also popularly known as the ‘Rancho School’ now.

* Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, 2011

3 friends, 1 trip, 1 EPIC journey! This movie about 3 friends going on a bachelor trip, strengthening their friendship along the way and gradually overcoming their fears, introduced us to the stunning country of Spain. Their journey from Barcelona to Costa Brava to Buñol en route Seville and finally to Pamplona featured some of the best locations and scenic landscapes, seen in recent times. Their adventures of deep-sea diving, skydiving and the exhilarating ‘Bull Run’ and ‘La Tomatina’ festival gave travellers some serious adventure goals to experience in Spain. ‘Seize the day my friend! Pehle Is Din Ko Poori Tarah Jiyo, Phir Chalis Ke Bare Mein Sochna’. One of the many inspiring dialogues from this movie perfectly described the need to live life to the fullest every day! So, what are you waiting for? Plan your Spanish holiday today and make your travel dream come true.

* Barfi, 2012

This movie is like a beautiful song that plays smoothly and makes a place in your heart with its stellar performances and breathtaking visuals! Barfi is a deaf and mute boy whose life is set in the picturesque hill station of Darjeeling. The mist-clad mountains, quaint landscapes, lush tea estates, emerald green forests, fenced pathways and charming villages play an important role in narrating the coming-of-age story of Barfi. The movie later takes place in Kolkata and showcases the colonial charm of the city along with the mature nuances that develop in Barfi’s character. The movie presents the hill station of Darjeeling in the best way possible as it features some of the most famous landmarks of the town – the Clock Tower, Glenary’s Cafe and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. A treat for the eyes with its stunning locations and a treat for the heart with its touching story, Barfi is definitely a journey worth experiencing.

* Chennai Express, 2103

‘Kashmir Main…Tu Kanyakumari!’ North meets South in this quirky movie that takes you on an epic journey from Mumbai to Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. On this amazing train journey, you get a chance to witness the breathtaking Dudhsagar Falls of Goa and the rolling lush green tea estates of Munnar. The movie also gives us a glimpse of the picturesque Devikulam hill station in Kerala, Pollachi town in Coimbatore and the Vattamalai Murugan Temple in Tamil Nadu, where Rahul (Shahrukh Khan) carries Meenamma (Deepika Padukone) up a long flight of stairs. The famous Pamban Bridge is also featured in the movie, which is India’s first sea bridge that connects the town of Rameshwaram on Pamban Island to mainland India. The movie is what you would call a perfect ‘Bollywood Masala’ movie with action, adventure, drama, romance, music, entertainment and makes for a fun-filled 3-hour cinematic ride where you get to experience the best of South Indian landscapes! If you ever needed a reason to visit the beautiful region of South India, then this is it.

* Highway, 2014

The movie ‘Highway’ released a couple of years ago and stood out from mainstream cinema due to a lot of reasons. The story of Veera and Bhati is fondly remembered today for its unconventional story, ground-breaking performances from the lead actors, but most importantly for its picturizations of the beautiful locales of Kashmir and Himachal. The movie featured beautiful locales of Pahalgam, Aru Valley, Spiti and many such hidden gems situated around the hilly regions of the North. Highway would not have been the movie we know today, if not for the snow-clad mountains, the hills and valleys of Pahalgam, the wide highways of the North, the trundling noisy trucks, the ever-flowing icy-cold rivers and the lush greenery of the beautiful Aru valley, which had a story to tell of its own. When was the last time we escaped from the hum-drum of our city life to just sit back, relax and take in the natural beauty around us? Too long… isn’t it? It’s time now to kick off all our worries and take a journey through mountains like ‘Veera’ from Highway.

* Queen, 2014

This movie redefined solo travel and gave many solo women travellers, the much-needed boost they were waiting for! ‘Queen’ showed us that it is okay to travel solo and how your experiences can build you as a better person while you discover yourself. Queen narrates the story of Rani (beautifully portrayed by Kangna Ranaut) who is abandoned by her fiancée, a day before the wedding; however, instead of wallowing in self-pity, she takes the bold decision of going on her honeymoon trip alone. She travels to Paris & Amsterdam and as she falls in love with these glorious cities, she also learns to fall in love with herself! The same ‘Eiffel Tower’ that scares her at first and brings about unsavoury memories, later enchants her and overwhelms her, as she admires its splendid spectacle by night. Taking us through the beautiful lanes of Paris, Amsterdam and even Delhi, this movie taught us that sometimes the journeys we take by ourselves are some of the best experiences of our lives.

* Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, 2014

Admit it! You watch this movie every time it comes on TV and you probably even know the dialogues by heart, as you mime them along with Naina and Bunny. Such is the beautiful charm and nostalgia of this wonderful movie that it brings along a breath of fresh (mountain) air, very much like the snowy hill stations featured in the movie. The first half of the movie took us through breathtaking landscapes of Gulmarg, Kashmir (portrayed as Manali in the movie) and urged the traveller in us to go hiking and trekking through the snowy hills of the Himalayas. The second half charmed us with royal palaces, magnificent forts of Rajasthan and managed to give us some serious destination wedding goals. The movie also inspired many of us to take up travel journalism and live a wanderlust life like Bunny! Capturing Srinagar, Gulmarg, Manali, Rajasthan and France like never before with an engaging storyline and amazing actor line-up, ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’ is an absolute feel-good movie that inspires us to catch up with long-lost school buddies and just travel.

* Tamasha, 2015

What happens in Corsica, stays in Corsica! This movie showcased the picture-perfect landscapes of Corsica and India fell in love! The beautiful locations and mesmerizing views were enough to make this beautiful island in France, a part of our travel list. We couldn’t believe an island could be so perfect; turquoise blue waters, glittering bays, stunning landscapes, lush greenery, craggy peaks but most of all, a unique culture bursting with local flavour and medieval charm. It seemed like the perfect getaway for the main characters of the movie and it seemed like the perfect vacation spot for everyone who watched this movie! The movie also featured the cultural hotspot of Delhi, Hauz Khas village which was featured in a heartfelt song. Interestingly enough, the female lead character’s inspiration to visit Corsica came from the famous comic book, Asterix in Corsica. Now, it’s time to make ‘Tamasha’ your inspiration and visit the breath-taking island of Corsica!

* Piku, 2015

Piku touched hearts, in a way which we did not know was possible! It explored a turbulent yet beautiful father-daughter relationship set against the backdrop of modern, fast-paced Delhi and the quaint yet beautiful, Kolkata city. Rarely has a movie ticked all the right boxes when it comes to an engaging story, great chemistry between its actors and beautiful picturizations which slowly transcend into the story and become the soul of the movie. The road trip from Delhi to Kolkata tests the patience of the lead characters and yet manages to bring them together, by the end of the journey. The pit-stop in between at Varanasi not only explores the quiet charm of the spiritual city but also serves as the perfect setting for a heart-to-heart chat between the lead characters. Finally, the city of Kolkata, replete with its old world colonial charm manages to take our breath away and we have Piku, the movie, to thank us for that!