Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network

Whatever has happened in Australia in the last one week must be quite a painful barb in the heart of Indian film aficionados as also Indian actors who got a new lease of life to their careers thanks to the films that were shot in Australia. As films have been a cultural balm on the swayed nerves of the civilization frayed by the political positioning, it indeed is a somber occasion to re-run association of Indian film fraternity with Australia and to remind all of them that Australia has a great fondness for India and few incidents should not snap the fondness.

As a matter of fact the careers of Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan would not have zoomed into the stratosphere had SALAAM NAMASTE not happened in their career. SALAAM NAMASTE also was a milestone film in terms of the attitude that it conveyed and the view that one should take about of the day-to-day life. The back drop of Australia provided a counter point to the spirit of joy the country portrays. It also was the catalytic factor for emphasizing the importance of youthful attitude in life.

While Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan benefited from SALAAM NAMASTE, one guy who got a new lease of life thanks to his Australian-style Hindi speaking was Javed Jaffrey. Emulating the CROCODILE DUNDEE style characterization, Javed Jaffrey brought about an interesting poise to the existentialist dilemma that a person faces who tries to balance himself between modernity and his roots.

The Australia was however discovered in a big way when Kamal Hassan had made his film HINDUSTANI. He brought out in a rather distinct manner the vividness of Australia, its wildlife as also the charm of the Sydney Harbour.

May be, HINDUSTANI must have inspired Farhan Akhtar to situate his DIL CHAHTA HAI for major part in Australia and he used the backdrop of Sydney Harbour in a big way. It was followed by HEYY BABYY which was another super hit film based in Australia and emphasizing once again the sporty life style that Australians have.

The last successful film shot in Australia was BACHNA AE HASEENO which went to the different spectrum of shooting in hitherto unvisited locales of the Australian Sea and it was one of the best films which could advertise about the vastness that this continent has.

It is the youthfulness of Australia that emerges as an underlining motif through all these films and coaxes the youth to try out its fortunes, and they would continue to do so, these minor mishaps only appearing as a blip trying to stop the organic growth of the relationship that these two countries have.