HAPPENING - 3 ::

HINDI FILM SHOOTING KEEPS COONOOR HOTELS BUSY

BY P S SUNDAR

                   Mid-April to mid-June is peak summer business season for the hospitality industry in the Nilgiris holding investments crossing ` 200 crore.    No hotel can afford to miss business in this season as it would be difficult to make good thereafter but usually, business comes without much effort during the peak season because of increased tourist inflow.

Hotels normally avoid conference or group bookings during the peak season which helps individual tourists get accommodation.   Hotels encourage such bookings during the off-season.

Of late, Hindi movie shootings have been keeping hotels in Coonoor busy for long period at a stretch.

Last year, during peak May season, ‘Shamitabh’ was being shot in Coonoor which saw Taj Gateway Hotel busy for over a month with Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and Akshara Hasan, among others, staying.  Family guests of Dhanush (as is known, his wife Aishwarya is daughter of superstar Rajnikanth) also spent personal days.

Since mid-June this year, the film ‘Kapoor and Sons’ is being shot in Coonoor with Rishi Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Siddharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt staying in Gateway.

“We have been taking special efforts to ensure that such stars have comfortable stay with privacy”, Gateway General Manager R Muralidharan told me. 

‘Kapoor and Sons’ Director Shakun Batra and production crew are staying in Orchid Square Boutique Hotel, Coonoor.

“More importantly, these actors and crew have been dining with us and spending productive time for rehearsal or rejuvenation keeping us busy for over 45 days now.  Some of our food preparations are also acting in the film!”, said Orchid Managing Director Sudarshan Motwani who personally supervises the food preparation and catering.

The shooting of the film is happening at ‘180 Mciver’ resort hotel.

Crew members are also staying in different other hotels in Coonoor.

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com).