Delhi through the reel

Delhi has always been a tourist favourite due to its rich heritage, numerous monuments from the Tughlaq and Mughal dynasties, remarkable landmarks like Janpath and India Gate, and its unbelievably cheap shopping destinations like Khan Market and Dilli Haat. But, for people who can’t get the time to visit the capital city at their leisurely pace, the Indian entertainment industry keeps providing stunning glimpses of the city through various films and series. So, sit down with your bucket of popcorn and get transported to numerous nooks and crannies of Delhi through your laptop or mobile screens with these movies and series.

Bharat

Delhi lent itself as the backdrop to this Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer. Parts of this movie were shot in Humayun’s Tomb and the cast kept sharing photos of their Delhi shoot on Instagram with numerous hashtags like ‘BharatInDelhi’ and ‘Dilli4Bharat’.

Fan

Shah Rukh Khan’s love for Delhi is very well known as he keeps reliving his Hansraj College days in a lot of press conferences and meetings. So, it is no surprise that his movie Fan was set in Delhi. One of Shah Rukh’s characters in the movie is Gaurav Chandna (the fanatical fan), a typical Delhiite. As a result, a lot of the film was shot in places like Dwarka, Connaught Place, Chandni Chown and so on.

Leila

Netflix India’s latest original Leila might be set in a dystopian Indian land called, ‘Aryavarta’, but the series was shot in Delhi. The rough and barren landscape of a totalitarian future land portrayed in the series has actually been shot majorly in Delhi NCR and Noida. The myriad skyscrapers and industrial buildings contributed wonderfully towards bringing the eerie, futuristic backdrop alive.

Rockstar

Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar portrayed Delhi in all its glory. A lot of the music videos have been shot in places like Nizamuddin Dargah (Kun Faaya Kun) and Hauz Khas Fort lawns (Jo Bhi Main). Ranbir’s character was also a student of the St. Stephens College.

October

Shoojit Sircar’s unique film about love and hope featuring Varun Dhawan was shot mostly in Delhi and partly in Manali.  The film’s cinematography manages to show a very serene and tranquil side of Delhi – something that is very rare to spot in this pollution-plagued city.

3 Idiots

One of the most popular films of India, 3 Idiots was shot in various parts of Delhi amongst other locations. This 2009 Raju Hirani movie has a humourous bantering scene between Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan shot against Connaught Place. Another iconic scene shows Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman speeding on a scooter on the roads of Rajpath.

Tamasha

Tamasha has been one of the most debated movies that have divided Bollywood critics and fans alike. This 2015 Imtiaz Ali movie is about the journey of an artist who is being forced to do a safe, white-collared job, abandoning his dream of becoming a storyteller. Hate it or love it, this movie is a visual treat. It also shows a lot of Hauz Khas and neighboring Delhi areas as Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone play the protagonists.

Delhi Crime

One of the most chilling crime documentary series based on the 2012 gangrape case that shook the entire country, Delhi Crime, was shot almost entirely in South Delhi. The seven-part Netflix series was shot there to keep the authenticity of the original case intact.