Ramoji Film City
Where imagination meets reality
By Eliza Binte Elahi
I recently travelled to Guntur, a district in Indias Andhra Pradesh state, to attend an international conference. After the two-day event, I spent three days in nearby Hyderabad, where my family joined me from Bangladesh.
When we planned our first ever trip to Hyderabad, one place on top of our must visit list was Ramoji Film City. We had heard a lot about the place and we were so excited that we scheduled one entire day for the trip.
If you ask me to pick the best day-trip destination from Hyderabad, without a second thought I would say: Ramoji Film City. This is truly the place where imagination meets reality, and I mean, literally!
The film city is a one-stop shop for filmmakers. The place boasts state-of-the-art facilities, all under one roof, for pre-production, production and post-production activities. It is a place that requires a full visit to satisfy all of ones senses. No, I am not telling you how it feels to walk right from the Mughal streets of Agra to the American Wild West, through haunted houses to Jaipurs Hawa Mahal _ all in a few minutes!
There is another reason for the visit to be so memorable and informative for people like me, who didnt know that the sound of horses galloping could be made by tapping two cobblestones over a pile of smaller pebbles in a rhythmic fashion, or that the sound of rain can be replicated by splashing grains of sand over a large sieve. Just amazing!
There are AC buses to take visitors around various sets on the huge grounds. When we were going from one place to another, our guide gave us important information about the film city.
Spread across 1,666 acres, Ramoji has recreated almost all major locations in the world, where a filmmaker can dream of shooting. Be it a village, a market, a railway station, a hospital or even the Taj Mahal, its there. Also, scenes have been created from epics like the Mahabharata or Ramayana. Whats more, they have built different styles of gardens from around the world, including a Japanese garden and a butterfly garden. As we roamed through these sets, we were able to recognise a few backgrounds from films we have seen.
That was followed by the Ramoji star experience cine magic camp. The camp has several rides Ranger, Break Dance, Twister, Super Jet, Carousel, Rain Dance and Fundustan childrens play area.
Then came Sahas. Termed as Asias finest adventure land, it includes a high rope course, bungee jumping, zorbing, Indian archery, target shooting, tandem cycling and several other things to do to make the sports person in you come alive. So, if you want to conquer your fears and discover your true self, you are welcome to Sahas kingdom.
The place has some interesting rides, too, three of which are included in the entry fee. There is not a lot of variety, but remember, its not an amusement park.
At Eureka, the 360-degree rotation ride is just amazing, and it should be your first stop before eating! Eureka also has entertainment events like Spirit Show, Stunt Show, Dome Theatre Show and Extravaganza Show.
There are so many things to see and enjoy that you will love the dazzle around you. The tour ends with a buffet lunch at a nice restaurant.
Ramoji Film City is a one-stop solution for all kinds of visitors _ be they children, thrill-seekers or nature lovers _ literally everyone will get something to take back from the film city. One thing that really impressed me was that the whole place was clean and well maintained.
After enjoying a wonderful day there, we left by 5:30 pm. Actually, one day is not enough to see everything, but we couldnt afford to spend more time there as we planned to see other places in historic Hyderabad the next day.
So, for your next break, get ready for a blockbuster holiday with your family at Indias best thematic destination and the worlds largest film city!
The writer is a lecturer of English at University of South Asia, Dhaka
