The production for the forthcoming action film 1 - Nenokkadine, starring popular Bollywood actor Mahesh Babu, is set to move to Belfast for five weeks shooting. The Irish Independent are reporting the film’s producers are also considering some Dublin locations. The film is being compared to the likes of Die Hard by the local press.
The blockbuster is estimated to have a budget of around €70 million, and could see 100 or more extras hired during its stint in Ireland. The Irish leg is being co-ordinated by production company Causeway Pictures, who are also developing the self-explanatory Vampires vs Leprechauns.
Bollywood films shooting in Ireland is fast becoming somewhat of a trend. September last year saw the producers of film David temporarily moving their team to Belfast. The film’s scenes at Belfast City Hall featured almost 500 extras.
The first major Bollywood production to film in Ireland was Ek Tha Tiger in September 2011, with several of the film’s big dance and action scenes filmed around Dublin locations such as Temple Bar and Trinity College. Today’s news of course gives us all the perfect opportunity to rewatch that film’s ridiculous, geographically inaccurate, LUAS-based set piece. We can only hope Nenokkadine does for Belfast what Ek Tha Tiger so memorably did for Dublin.
