Chandigarh celebrates Zero Dark Thirty’s Oscar win

Chandigarh celebrates Zero Dark Thirty’s Oscar win

MUNISH DHIMAN  2nd Mar 2013

Katherine Bigelow with co-poducer Mark Boal in Manimajra | Photo: TS Bedi handigarh has recently made news bybeing the shooting location for Katherine Bigelow's recent Oscar (Best Sound Editing) winning filmZero Dark Thirty. For shooting the movie, Manimajra was turned into Abbotabad and local residents were handpicked to play odd roles in the movie. Besides Manimajra some parts of the movie have been shot in Sector-15, and also at the Punjab Engineering College (PEC) which was turned into the CIA HQ. Bigelow, who became the first woman to win the best director Oscar, chose to shoot the scenes in North India specifically in Manimajra and some places in Punjab because of the similarity in the topography of the two cities— Abbottabad and Manimajra. The overcrowded markets with street food sellers present at every nook and corner of the narrow lanes, traditional houses and local crafts made it an appropriate place for imitation of small town in Pakistan. Last year, the movie was being shot in Chandigarh, Sector-15, and the place transformed into a mini PAkistan. The boards carrying shop names in Urdu welcomed women donning burqas, men in skull caps, salwar-kameez and chappals. Auto-rickshaws with Lahore number plates, even buses with bright colours and design, added to the appearance of this newly constructed Abbottabad. Bigelow could not shoot in (Abbotabad) Pakistan, which is at a distance of about 550 kms from Chandigarh due to strained US-Pakistan relations and was also considered to be unsafe. Bedsides this, the infamous Abbottabad building had been razed and hence the scenes were shot in this part of the country. Today, Manimajra, a small 100-year-old suburb of Chandigarh has become a tourist destination because of its connection with the movie and the nearly 300-year-old Manimajra fort. Despite receivng five nominations, Zero Dark Thirty managed only one Oscar (shared), but this single award was reason enough for the traders to celebrate the victory. The residents and shop owners are elated over the movie winning Oscar, which was shot in their presence. "Though I haven't seen the movie yet, but the memories are afresh as I have seen the stars while they were shooting here near our shops. We are overjoyed with its success as we feel so connected with the movie. I remember how the transformation happened and it became so difficult to recognise our own shops. Though we have not acted in the movie, still it seems as if it is a part of our lives," quips Saloni, an employee at a chemist shop. The shops of Manimajra were transformed to make the place look like Abbottabad | Photo: TS Bedi "I have never seen Oscars and don't know about the awards also. This doesn't matter to us in anyways. We are really happy that a movie which was shot here in our town has won an international award and this makes us feel proud and happy," asserts Prakash Kumar, a local vendor. Ravi Sharma, who owns a sweet shop, adds, "During the shooting days the sale at our shop went up. We really hope more film makers come here and enjoy pakoda, chai, chana samosa and other snacks at our shop the way crew members and local actors used to while shooting for the movie." The Incredible India website now features a Youtube video on the making of Zero Dark Thirty in Manimajra, as part of a tourism promo launched by the Ministry of Tourism. While speaking to Guardian20 about promoting tourism in Chandigarh, D.K Tiwari, MD, CITCO (Chandigarh Industrial & Tourism Development Corporation) says, "We have a dedicated Bollywood promotion cell that facilitates all such promotions and activities in the city. We are open to all who show keen interest in shooting in Chandigarh. Even these days various movies, including Besharam, are being shot in and around the city." The future of tourism in Chandigarh seems really bright and prosperous with dedicated assistance from the Chandigarh Administration to various production houses for shooting. http://www.sunday-guardian.com/masala-art/chandigarh-celebrates-zero-darknthirtys-oscar-win