9 Bollywood Movies That Are Set In Places That Are Not Mumbai And Delhi

Here's to movies that really capture the essence of India's heartland.

There was a time when high fashion, lavish parties, and fast-paced city life was the norm for Hindi films. However, over the last two decades, films are increasingly being set away from the glitz and glamour to tell a story from the heartland of India — its small towns and cities. We explore some films from the last decade that celebrated small towns in a way that they almost became a character in the film — alive and influential.

1. Udaan (2010) — Jamshedpur

UTV Motion Pictures

Set in the steel capital of the country — Jamshedpur — Udaan, starring Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, and Ram Kapoor, is the perfect backdrop for the heartbreaking and hopeful story that plays out onscreen. The grey, stern, and unmoving exterior of the industrial town mirrors the grim steeliness of Roy, a man who is unloved and unloving. The seedy bars and mechanical factories are at odds with the sensitive and sweet Rohan, the protagonist, who eventually breaks free from his abusive father’s prison-like house, taking his half-brother Arjun away from his clutches as well. 

2. Raanjhanaa (2013) — Varanasi

Eros Now

Religion, politics, revenge, and heartbreak are all themes that this Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor-starrer explores, but not without the city of Benaras playing a crucial role in the film. The Ganga ghats, the aarti, and the daily activities of the people living in the holy city are all depicted incredibly well. While this movie is problematic in many ways, the hopes, dreams, and frustrations of small town folk and how moving away is often the only way to build the life you want, are shown with sensitivity and realism. 

3. Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) — Jaipur

Yash Raj Films

If there was ever a film that captured the Pink City through rose-tinted glasses, it would be this Sushant Singh Rajput, Parineeti Chopra, and Vaani Kapoor-starrer. Using the secret live-in relationship trope, the film has many sepia-tinted shots of the beautiful and regal city of Jaipur. The song Gulaabi takes the audience through the most popular tourist attractions of Rajasthan's capital, while delving into issues like commitment in relationships that are way more modern than the city they are blossoming in.

4. Masaan (2015) — Varanasi

Drishyam Films

While the religious side of Kashi (as it was once known) has been depicted umpteen times in Bollywood, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan explores the darker aspect of the town without taking away the religious significance that it holds for Hindus, collectively. The ghats filled with burning funeral pyres and a raw Vicky Kaushal grieving the death of his love are haunting and mesmerising in equal measures. Varanasi comes alive through the film’s frames and the background score in a way that not many other movies have managed to capture.

5. Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) — Haridwar

Yash Raj Films

Crumbling houses with peeling paint, crowded and narrow streets, and the majestic riverbanks of the Ganga are par for the course in Sharat Katariya’s film set in the 90s, in the sacred city of Haridwar. Family pressure, arranged marriage, unwanted opinions, and petty banter fit in organically with its surroundings. Haridwar and Rishikesh become characters in the film and create a picture of a man and his marriage through the lens of toxic masculinity, instilled and perpetuated by his peers in his town.

6. Kapoor & Sons (2016) — Coonoor

Dharma Productions

The lush valleys and the quiet, sleepy town of Coonoor (situated at the foothills of its better-known cousin, Ooty) is like a warm, comforting presence throughout the family drama that stars Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor, Siddharth Malhotra, Ratna Pathak Shah, and Rajat Kapoor. Delving into themes of family, identity, success, relationships, and insecurities, Kapoor & Sons creates a real and lived-in world without superficialities and the distinct feeling of looking for home. Coonoor serves as the perfect setting for such an emotional exploration.

7. Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017) — Jhansi / Kota

Dharma Productions

Set in the city of Jhansi with interspersed shots of Kota, the Varun Dhawan-Alia Bhatt starrer (although problematic and convoluted in itself) uses the milieu of the cities to develop its central as well as supporting characters. Decisions and choices are influenced by the way growing up there has shaped both Badri and Vaidehi (Dhawan and Bhatt, respectively). Musical montages are one of the most popular ways to capture different sights of a city in films and this Dharma Productions venture is no exception as it showcases some of the more “touristy” areas of Kota through songs like Humsafar.

8. Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) — Bareilly

Junglee Pictures

Starring Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Rajkummar Rao, this breezy rom-com brings to life the town of Bareilly to its audience. Characters in Bitti's (Sanon) life, played by superb actors like Pankaj Tripathi, Seema Pahwa, Rao, and Khurrana do justice to the swag that comes with many Bollywood films set in the state of Uttar Pradesh, be it in the way they dress, speak, or interact with each other. The colourful and crowded by-lanes are filled with the stories of every family that resides in them while the rows of adjacent terraces create the sense of a community that is both supportive and interfering.

9. Kedarnath (2018) — Kedarnath

RSVP Movies

With sweeping drone shots of the Himalayas and the sacred shrine of Kedarnath, Sara Ali Khan’s debut film is set against the tragedy of the deadly 2013 Kedarnath floods. The Hindu girl falling in love with a Muslim boy is as common a storyline as any in Bollywood, however, the depiction of the ecological degradation of the holy place as well as the resulting tragedy are unique aspects of the film. The film’s music, with songs like Namo Namo and Qaafirana are clear winners as they bring alive the lilting and reverential sounds of the valley.