21 Times That South Indian Movies Went Exotic With Their Locations!

Each region of South-India has a distinctive feature associated with it. Be it the food, be it the languages, be it the people; everything has something unique to offer to you. Especially, when it comes to South Indian films- Malayalam films are numero uno when it comes to a strong storyline, Tamil films are known for their larger than life presentation- kannada movies have some amazing background scores as well as acting and Telugu films is like a jack of all trades (sometimes even a master!)

But the best part is that regional cinema is taking a step up and realizing the pros of shooting abroad. Like their Bollywood counterparts, they have figured that the cost of shooting abroad is actually much cheaper. For one- the crew gets cut almost by half. The hospitality is quite commendable as each country wants to promote their tourism. Even the government subsidies are a factor you cannot avoid. Here is a list of South Indian movies that have been shot abroad and added that slight extra commercial edge:-

MALAYALAM

• I Love Me

Unnikrishnan’s movie about a businessman whose life is in danger did not fare very well in terms of critical reviews, but it definitely did succeed in showing a really amazing side of the locations it covered. 

LOCATIONS- Vietnam, Cambodia

• Love In Singapore

Released in 2009, this Mammootty starrer is about a humble kid on the streets who grows up to gain everything on the basis of his goodwill. Again, the foreign locations could really not save the movie. 

LOCATIONS - Singapore

• Swapnakoodu

Swapnakoodu is almost like a Malayalam version of Chashme Baddoor.  The plot is about three men falling in love with the same woman and was a directorial venture of the critically acclaimed director- Kamal. Lot of people did not receive the random shooting of a song sequence abroad.

LOCATIONS - Vienna 

• Runway

Shavaa Shavaa- the hit in the film was filmed abroad and the best part about Kavya is she doesn’t ever dress up provocatively. But, the song did end up looking a little out of place in the movie.

LOCATIONS - Streets of Thailand and Phuket Beaches. 

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• Lion

Dileep and Kavya Madhavan perhaps realized that shooting in foreign locations is actually quite a great idea. They went far up to a slightly more distant location to shoot a honeymoon sequence.

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LOCATIONS - New Zealand

• Ivide

Story about a detective, this movie did really well as the story line was quite different. It also in a way shows the life of Indians living in Atlanta.

LOCATIONS - USA

• Made in USA

This is one movie that does not really show off the location as much. But that is the highlight of a Malayalam film in general- they would always pay most attention to a storyline and this movie does the same.

LOCATIONS - USA 

TAMIL

• Enthiran

This one does not need any description. Rajnikanth- Aishwarya starrer commonly known as Robot went across the World probably scouting for locations. No wonder everything about this movie was amazing.

LOCATIONS - Lenute, Maranhenses, Maranho, Brazil, Machu Picchu, Peru, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India,Rio de Janeiro, Hanoi, Vietnam Vienna, Austria

• Singam II 

Singam is a known name all over India. The Bollywood remake also collected accolades all over. The original though, was another level. Singam franchise is almost like a tribute to Indian cops. The second part was about Singam’s fight with an international drug lord.

LOCATIONS - Kenya

• Irandam Ulagam 

Even though the main location of this movie was an exo planet, the earth part has been shot majorly in a different country.

LOCATIONS - Georgia 

• Vishwaroopam 2 (Thailand)

Vishwaroopam earned a lot of criticism- positive and negative. But the second part promises to be amazing on every front. With Kamal Hassan as the backbone of the project, it is very difficult to collapse. We hope the best for this movie.

LOCATIONS - Thailand

• Kanthaswamy 

You want to go to 5 different countries in 3 hours? Then Kanthaswamy is your best bet. The movie also boasts of an amazing story line.

LOCATIONS - Tanzania, Kenya, Mexico, Italy(Trailer), Switzerland 

You might not see the shooting of your favorite film, but you will definitely see a lot on your next trip to this amazing destination.

• Sivaji

Always trust Rajnikanth to deliver something extra ordinary. Also, always expect his fans to crowd his movies in bigger numbers every time. Sivaji the boss would probably go down in history as one of the best movies ever made.

LOCATIONS - Bilbao, Vizcaya, País Vasco, Spain, New York City - 5 more local locations

• 'Billa'

Billa is a highly acclaimed Tamil gangster film. The story line revolves around an international don chased by a police officer, a lowly thief, cops as well as a woman who wants to take revenge from him. It was shot entirely in a different location.

LOCATIONS - Malaysia 

TELUGU

• Sahasavanthudu

 It was the first telugu film to be shot abroad. It was shot in the year 1978 and starred NTR with Vansiri. This revolutionary step was taken by K.Vidyasagar and K.Bapaiah. We thank them for setting the trend.

LOCATIONS - Nepal

• Don Seenu

This famous telugu gangster themed film has Shriya Saran and Ravi Teja playing the main roles. It released in 2010 and was quite a big hit.

LOCATIONS - Barcelona, Spain

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• Dhada

It released in the year 2011 when Naga Chaitanya was just 3 films old. Kajal Aggarwal plays the role of the main actress in the film and it was quite a big hit.

LOCATIONS - Philippines 

• Kedi

A complicated love story with a cop and a gambler involved is a perfect formula for a hit down south. Add Nagarjuna and your project instantly turns into gold. This was exactly the scenario in Kedi.

LOCATIONS - Greece

• Orange

Orange is a love story between Genelia and Ram Charan. The movie has quite a relatable plot and the location makes it even better. Genelia and Ram Charan were seen raving about the Australian hospitality for days.

LOCATIONS - Melbourne 

• NTR’s Shakti 

NTR seems to be the dream of a lot of women in the South. In this movie he is like the perfect hero saving her at all times.

LOCATIONS - Egypt

• Nenu Naa Rakshasi 

Rana Daggubati seems to be agreeing with our point when he says that the movies cost much less abroad as well as he enjoyed shooting the movie in a city entirely structured on water.

LOCATIONS - Venice 

*The list comprises of Malayalam, Tamil as well as Telugu films. Unfortunately, not a lot of matter could be procured for Kannada films. Also, we totally love how Kannada films make our own country look amazing. More often than not, they take us through some completely unknown South Indian locations.

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