Andalucia triumphs at Bollywood Oscars

AN INDIAN movie part filmed in Andalucia has scooped a whopping seven prizes at the Bollywood ‘Oscars’.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (You Only Live Once) follows three friends touring Spain in a pale blue Cadillac, taking in Alajar, a pueblo blanco between Huelva and Sevilla.

Locals were warned of the noise that would be made while crews shot the song Senorita, for which filming took place after dark.

The film was a phenominal success in India, taking the equivalent of 2.2 million euros at the box office.

And during their stay in Andalucia, the Olive Press reported that the film crew had paid a visit to Al Lago restaurant in Zahara de la Sierra, who just happened to be hosting their monthly Indian Weekend.

“We had the whole crew with us for three days solid and they ate all of their food here,” said owner Mona Crites, who is of Indian and Pakistani origin so knows how to make a good curry.

The box-office hit also features scenes filmed on the Costa Brava, in Valencia and Bunol, where the tomatina festival was recreated using 16 tons of tomatoes flown in from Portugal.

Bollywood is the most prolific movie-making industry in the world, and the Filmfare Awards are considered India’s equivalent to Hollywood’s Oscars.

One of the seven prizes won was for director of photography Carlos Catalan, from Barcelona, who collected his award at the ceremony in Mumbai, India’s Bollywood capital.