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As India’s largest city, Mumbai in Maharashtra is situated on the country’s west coast. Also, the financial capital of India is popular as the heart of the Hindi film industry, Bollywood. Notably, India produces close to 1000 movies a year. And, this is one of the major reasons thousands of tourists visit the City of Dreams. Considering the love for Bollywood, many Mumbai tour packages are specially designed to inform tourists about the humble beginning of the major film stars and influential Bollywood families. Not just this, these packages also involve visiting movie sets. Some Bollywood tour packages further include visiting the area where popular Bollywood celebrities hold their swanky mansions. Read on to know about the highlights of Bollywood tour packages.
Established in 1977 by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Maharashtra, Film City is one of the largest air-conditioned studio complexes and outdoor shooting locations in the country. It is spread across an area of nearly 350 acres in western Mumbai. Notably, it was renamed Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in 2001.
Guided tours of Film City are available throughout the year. A two-hour guided tour of Film City in Mumbai is conducted by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. The tour includes a visit to a show set, while shooting is underway.
Timings: Notably, there are four tours that take place through the course of the day. They begin at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. Also, the live show tour is conducted daily between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Cost: The tours cost Rs. 599 for Indians and $49 or roughly Rs. 3500 per head for foreigners. Further, the live show tour costs Rs. 1600 per person and $49 per head for foreign nationals.
A Bollywood Dream tour package includes a visit to a music studio, learning some Bollywood dance steps and watching a live film/TV serial shooting. Further, the tour ends with the screening of a Bollywood movie to give a feel-good experience to tourists. Notably, bookings need to be made in advance for such tours.
Timings: Most of the tours under this category are available from Monday to Saturday and begin around 9 a.m.
It involves a comprehensive Bollywood tour that includes visiting a live set, witnessing film shooting and interacting with film/TV stars. In addition, such tours include a visit to the Bollywood museum that features posters of old movies and yesteryear stars. Further, driving past the homes of Bollywood celebrities acts as the icing on the cake.
Timings: The tours are conducted at four slots between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on any given day.
Cost: The tour costs Rs. 9500 or $140 per person. This includes transportation and meals as well.
A half-day Bollywood tour includes visiting a live set, experiencing the shooting and interacting with TV stars. Also, such tours include a visit to the Bollywood museum along with the areas where Bollywood stars reside. After this, tourists can shop for clothes at the popular Bandra market. Also, they can buy jewellery, accessories and other local items.
Timings: The tour is conducted at four slots on any given day, including 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Cost: The tour starts at the price of Rs. 8000 or $120 per person. This includes the studio entrance fees and the facility of a private vehicle.
A half-day Bollywood tour is for the duration of 4-5 hours. It includes witnessing some behind-the-scenes activities on a movie set, and visiting Bollywood dance and dubbing studios.
Timing: Tour slots are 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Cost: The cost for a half-day Bollywood tour starts at Rs. 10,500 or $150 per person. However, bigger groups get concessions. The cost also includes lunch at a restaurant nearby.
The Dharavi slum is the largest slum in Asia. A tour of the slum, coupled with a Bollywood tour roughly takes around 7 to 8 hours. The two parts of the tour are completely contrasting but interesting too. It allows tourists to witness the glitzy, glamorous side of Bollywood along with the stark realities of the slum.
Timings: There are four slots available that include 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
This tour is carefully designed for the fans of Indian reality television shows. It includes visiting a studio and being a part of the studio audience. It lets tourists experience all the action first-hand.
Timings: Prior bookings need to be made for this particular tour as it is not available daily.
Cost: The starting price of the tour for one person is Rs. 7500 or $110.
