Shimla in the movies and Theog Ra Gappu

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‘Once Bollywood discovered Shimla and its splendour
thy could not but return to it
again and again’

Bande 2009

The quote above is by writer and teacher Usha Bande and is taken from her recent review of films shot in and around Shimla (‘Real Shimla in Reel Shimla’). Shimla has certainly provided an important backdrop for the unfolding of many bollywood movies and international documentaries. However, yesterday I received the pleasant news that some friends of mine from Shimla state have recently set up their own film company and launched their first film Theog Ra Gappu.



I have not yet had a chance to see the film, although I do have a copy on the way to me and am looking forward to seeing it. I cannot comment therefore on the content but I am sure that it will provide a refreshing antidote to the mainstream films about Shimla, which reflect a tourist experience of the place. I also have a hunch that at least parts of the film may be set away from Shimla Mall in the wonderful landscapes surrounding Theog.



I have very fond memories of the Theog area, which I would often drive to at weekends for a game of football. The air always seemed fresher than down in Shimla, the pace of life quieter, more relaxed. Sitting in the shade of tree, on a sunny afternoon, in a Theogian forest glade, I would feel a kind of peace. The kind of peace that is rarely felt in the city, except perhaps inside Christ Church, on an early Sunday morning, when only the crows are awake.