VI
EN
The Mariyinsky Palace in Kyiv is painted blue. It is the residence of the Ukrainian president and also a prominent feature in the recent Indian blockbuster film RRR.
The palace and surrounding park served as the filming location for one of the most ambitious scenes in this high-budget film. The film featured renowned actors such as Ram Charan Teja, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, 50 dancers, 300 extras, and an orchestra.
Filming scenes in Ukraine was the idea of "location expert" Ramji Natarajan. In the capital Kyiv, 1,000 members of the film crew stayed for 27 days to shoot scenes, and Natarajan was the one who arranged accommodation for them all.
Ramji's responsibility was to both find a suitable location and handle the logistics for nearly 1000 people.
Since the 1980s, Natarajan has helped 1,000 films shoot scenes in 75 different countries. His responsibility is to provide unique and cost-effective locations for filmmakers.
"I've visited markets in the Middle East. I've also been to the Colosseum. Another time, I strolled through the Sahara Desert, enjoying the cool water from an oasis," Natarajan said.
Bollywood films often involve lots of songs, dances, and action, so many Indian filmmakers prefer overseas locations where crowds are easier to manage and filming permits are generally much simpler than in India.
Before 1996, not many filmmakers went abroad. But in 1996, the Indian government made it easier to obtain permits for filming overseas. Since then, beautiful locations like Switzerland have quickly become popular among Indian filmmakers.
His first location scouting project was for the film Rudrantra, which was filmed in Malaysia and Singapore in 1988. “That was the beginning of my journey as a location scout,” he said.
Natarajan began his career as an actor but didn't achieve much success. He then founded Travel Masters India in 1991. His work goes beyond simply finding filming locations. It includes advising clients on locations, arranging tickets, booking hotels, applying for visas, transporting technical equipment, advising on tax breaks and discounts, moving a crew of up to 100 people, and managing all other operations surrounding filming.
He started his career as an actor but didn't make much of an impact.
“I always visit a location before showing it to my clients, followed by numerous discussions with the director, producer, and crew. Generally, it takes at least three trips to pinpoint the location and begin filming,” he explained.
Some of the rare locations Natarajan has visited include: the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia – where the dance scene for the film Sarrainodu (2016) was filmed; and a secluded black sand beach in Iceland for the hit song Gerua, featured in Rohit Shetty's film Dilwale (2015).
According to an article in the Hindustan Times, the film Dilwale is the reason for the significant increase in tourists from India to Iceland. These films serve as free publicity for the countries they are made in. Natarajan has taken the producers and director everywhere from Lake Baikal in Siberia, to East Java in Indonesia, Machu Picchu in Peru and North Macedonia, but things haven't always gone according to plan.
“Once, when we went to Uzbekistan, our cameras and equipment were confiscated at the airport. It was a terrible experience. Sometimes, if your local partners aren’t strong, they can let you down badly,” he recalled.
Natarajan's work has made him an expert in finding cost-effective alternatives. For example, for the 2017 action-horror film Mersal, he helped transform the Macedonian National Theatre in Skopje into the Palais Garnier opera house of Paris. With a crew of up to 1,000 people and a 10-day shoot, Natarajan estimated that filming in Paris would have cost ten times more than filming in North Macedonia.
Or when filmmakers needed skilled technicians and snow-capped mountains in Canada, Natarajan suggested Bulgaria, where Shivaay (2016) was filmed, or Azerbaijan, where cities could easily rival Dubai or Paris – especially at night. The people there are also incredibly friendly, which made filming much easier.
According to him, his most valuable asset is his 16 passports, affixed with visa stamps from all over the world. He has visited 140 countries, met with heads of state, and has been honored as a tourism ambassador by countries such as Switzerland and Spain.
His unique job allowed him to travel all over the world.
He was one of the first to arrange for Bollywood films to be shot in the Southern Hemisphere. From 1997 to 2010, he arranged 145 film segments in New Zealand – which replaced Switzerland when winter arrived.
He has 30 projects underway in 8 countries. “I’m looking into locations for films outside of India – for example, Japanese films that need to be shot in Europe.”
“What I love about this job is that it’s full of rich experiences and knowledge. With this job, I have time to explore new places on my own. Every day is different, and it gives me the opportunity to meet people from many countries. I feel that true wealth is traveling, because it gives you deep knowledge and understanding of the world. That’s invaluable,” he shared.
