Namita SawantMumbai film city tour has been on my bucket list ever since I found out that such a tour existed on Bookmyshow. Of course, to experience the glitz and glamour. Being someone who is born and brought up in Mumbai, I have never travelled the city like a tourist. It was my first time, and I was totally elated to celebrate my birthday by exploring the Bollywood theme park in Goregaon Mumbai. I was not surprised to see many people from different states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, on this tour. There were hardly any Mumbaikars.
What is Mumbai Film City?
Mumbai film city is the prime location for various film and television shoots. It is located in Aarey colony, Goregaon East. Also known as Dadasaheb Phalke Chitra Nagari, the film studio complex has recording rooms, temple, prison, open grounds, gardens, mountains, lakes, and institutes, all in all one-stop for end-to-end shooting of movies and television shows. Most Bollywood films are shot at this location.
For Bollywood fans and strugglers, this is a must-visit place in Mumbai especially now that one can buy a ticket and enter the film city to explore the world of cinema, up and close.
Bollywood theme park
A unique theme park, tagged as Mumbai’s newest entertainment destination, the Bollywood theme park offers a well-planned tour for all movie enthusiasts. You can do Mumbai film city booking online from Bookmyshow.com or you can buy a ticket at the counter, near the entry gate.
We booked our tickets online and were surprised to see a bus full of people for a 12.30 pm show that too on a Wednesday. So, if you plan to buy tickets at the counter, reach early. They have many shows throughout the day, the first show starting at 11 am onwards and the last show at 4: 30 pm.
Mumbai Film City tour – My experience
The guided tour inside the Mumbai Film City starts as we board the AC bus, accompanied by a guide who shares the titbits of Bollywood and points out several shoot locations in an interesting manner. As a visitor, you cannot get off the bus unless the guide instructs. Nevertheless, from the bus itself, you can view several shoot locations and feel like a part of this magical world.
At the entry itself, we saw Mr. Subhash Ghai who runs a film institute, Whispering Woods, inside the film city. Later as we came across the institute the guide showed us the spots where college scenes in several movies have been shot, like 3 Idiots, Lakshya, etc.
From time to time, the tour guide instructed us to look left and right to checkout shoot locations. The start of the tour was a little disappointing as we could hardly see any film set or actors from the bus.
Although, we saw (of course from a long distance) a few sets:
- Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah set all dolled up for the Independence Day Celebration episode
- Anupama set, the highest TRP show at present on TV.
- Shaheer Sheikh is a popular Indian actor on Television (don’t know which show he was shooting for).
- KBC and The Kapil Sharma show set (of course from the outside).
How long is the guided tour inside Mumbai Film City?
The Mumbai Film city Tour with Bollywood Park guided tour is approximately three hours. But the guide cum host was so entertaining that at no point where we bored. Despite not getting a chance to visit the live shoot locations or meet any celebrity in person, it was intriguing to be a part of this tour.
There are designated stops where the bus will halt and let you explore the sets on foot.
This was the home where Amitabh Bachchan starer Baghban was shot. The guide beautifully narrated an interesting background story that was much fun to listen.
Next to it is the famous temple that we all have seen in several movies. The amusing thing about the temple is that it had no idol inside. As per the film’s demand, they place the idols and shoot the scene.
From here, we all saw the Khandala point, usually shown in movies to depict accident scenes. The Kashmir point, where the recent debacle Laal Singh Chaddha was shot, and the village shown in the movie is also inside the Mumbai film city.
It’s amazing to see these locations and relate them to the movies we have seen over the years. The tour is planned such that they have saved the best part for the last.
Bollywood Park – Main attractions
The 3-hour guided tour concludes at Bollywood Park where there’s a line-up of several activities to make you feel close to stars of our Bollywood industry. The main attractions of the Bollywood Park include:
- Live entertainment shows
- Dance performances by celebrity duplicates, like Salman Khan
- 7D show
- Walk through the wax museum
- Explore the Pre-designed state-of-the-art sets
- Understand the hard work that goes into post-production activity, including Chroma shoot.
- Click pictures at Selfie point
The live entertainment show was the icing on the cake. The dance performance by the look-alike of Salman Khan and the stand-up comedy by the look-alike of Dr. Mashoor Gulati was worth the money. All in all, you will get a good understanding of the making of the films and the hard work that makes it all magical on the big screen.
Points to remember:
- Mumbai film city ticket price ranges from Rs. 899 to Rs. 999 depending on the day you choose to visit.
- Book your tickets in advance and reach the venue, at least an hour in advance. (The google maps can come across as confusing as the entry shown from within the Aarey colony is for celebrities only).
- Carry a water bottle as the bus will not stop midway and there are no shops until you reach Bollywood Park.
- Have food at the Bollywood Park canteen. The taste is yummy, and the price is reasonable.
- Wear comfortable shoes as you will have to walk to explore the many stops.
- The tour might extend beyond 3 hours so have extra time on your hands.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Mumbai film city tour. I wish to applaud the Bollywood Park staff for arranging a professional tour and providing a glimpse of the film industry. The tour guide was amazing, and his imitation of the popular movie characters added to the overall package. If you are planning for a one-day trip, this is a must-visit place in Mumbai for tourists as well as locals. If you are looking for suggestions for One day trip near navi mumbai, checkout the blog: Five best places to visit in Navi Mumbai – Best of India Travels and A day trip to Airoli Flamingo Sanctuary: Coastal & Marine Biodiversity Centre, Navi Mumbai (bestofindiatravels.com).
Thank you for reading the blog!
