IN ROMANTIC UDAIPUR
(By Subbaram Danda)
 |
| A view of Udaipur |
As my
wife and I entered Udaipur in the course of our Rajasthan tour in March 2015, driving
on its crowded narrow streets, a huge board of a hotel caught my
attention. The last line on it read in
bold letters, “We show James Bond film Octopussy every evening at 7 p.m.” For a moment I was intrigued. Why should the film be run by the hotel and
that too every day? Soon some more
similar hotel boards with the same text confronted me.
Suddenly
I recalled what I had read in travel books and on the internet. Almost the entire film Octopussy had been
shot in Udaipur. Many tourist sights of
the city can be seen in the widely popular film. And several
of these attractions were there on our itinerary too. The hotels were trying to attract foreign tourists
by showing the film to them and offering to take them to those sites. Excellent marketing strategy!
I am an
ardent fan of Ian Fleming, the author of James Bond thrillers. For the uninitiated, James Bond is the lead
character in the novels -- a British spy with the authority to kill. His code is 007. I have read almost all Bond novels. Naturally I also love the films produced on the basis of the novels.
Octopussy is
the 13th Bond film starring Roger Moore in the main role. Though the title is borrowed from Ian
Fleming’s work, the film plot is vastly different.
In the
film, Bond is assigned the task of unravelling
the international ramifications of the theft of invaluable relics from the
Soviet Union. The trail leads him to Udaipur, where the operatives have set
shop.
Octopussy
is the name of a wealthy woman accomplice of an international smuggler involved
in the theft. Swedish-born bewitching American
actress Maud Adams plays this role. She
resides in two palaces – Lake Palace and Jag Mandir Palace – each built on an
island in Udaipur’s famous Lake Pichola.
James Bond stays in another palace -- the luxurious Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel
on the banks of the lake.
 |
| Lake Palace, now a luxury hotel |
 |
| Exterior view of Jag Mandir Palace |
 |
| Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel |
Lake
Palace, built by Maharana Jagat Singh II in 1754, has been converted into an
expensive private luxury hotel. Its lush pools, lavish suites, stunning
pavilions and dreamy fountains came in handy for the film maker to add glitz
and glamour to the flick in abundance.
Jag Mandir Palace was put up by Maharana Karan Singh in 1620. Its neatly-tended gardens, open court yards and above all life-size statues of elephants at the entrance and elsewhere are a sight to behold. The film exploits these to the full extent.
 |
| An open courtyard of Jag Mandir Palace |
 |
| In the courtyard of Jag Mandir Palace |
 |
| A garden in Jag Mandir Palace |
 |
| Elephant statues in the garden of Jag Mandir Palace |
Incidentally, Jag Mandir Palace has an interesting tale to tell. Mughal Prince Khurram, who later came to be known as Shah Jahan, had a dispute with his father and this forced him to seek refuge with the then ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar at Udaipur. Subsequently Khurram stayed at Jag Mandir Palace. He was reportedly overwhelmed by Udaipur palaces all around and wanted to build such edifices himself, if he had an opportunity. This inspiration eventually led to the construction of the world famous Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaj.
Shiv
Nivas Palace, completed by Maharana Fateh Singh at the beginning of the 20th
century, served as a royal guest house.
Among the world celebrities it hosted was King George V of the United
Kingdom. It was later turned into a
luxury hotel.
Our programme in Udaipur included a boat ride on the placid waters of Lake Pichola with a halt at the Jag Mandir Palace. In the film James Bond also sails on the lake frequently. Our ride enabled us to have a look at all the palaces from our boat and also provided an opportunity to step into Jag Mandir Palace, which is currently a resort with yoga and meditation facilities. Weddings and other events also take place there.
 |
| Boat ride on Lake Pichola |
 |
| In the boat |
Our
hotel room in Udaipur was lake facing and we could comfortably see boats on the lake pass
by. Exactly opposite to our room across
the lake on the other side was a ghat and an open paved area. One evening we could see colourfully-dressed
Rajasthani women come in a procession and gather there. Several women carried images of Issar and
Gangaur, manifestations of Shiva and Parvati.
Music, dance and other cultural programmes followed. We learnt that it was a festival gathering to welcome the
Spring season. Several special boats with
music bands and dancing youngsters sailed past the place on the lake.
 |
| A view of Lake Pichola from our hotel room |
 |
| Boats participating in the Spring festival |
The
Octopussy film too has a similar event shot at the same place, where James Bond
was received. The film incorporates many other scenes of the
city in abundance – street-side shops selling a variety of wares, autorickshaws
weaving through crowded lanes, women in colourful saris moving around and
children playing in gay abandon. Tennis player Vijay Amritraj plays the role of
a companion of Bond in the film.
Udaipur
finds a place not only in Octopussy but also in several other international and
regional films. Citizens of this city
are proud of not only their heritage and culture but also the fact that it
continues to attract film producers from all over the world.
We did
not stay in Hotel Lake Palace or Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel, as they were highly
expensive, and so their interiors could not be caught by our camera. However, we were able to capture in our
photographs several of the sights featured in Octopussy, as if we had been on James
Bond’s trail!
April
11, 2015
