Rajon Ki Baoli: Bollywood’s new shooting stop

Rajon Ki Baoli: Bollywood and Delhi have a decades-old strong connection, with scores of films shot in the national capital.

This year, the film industry has explored the historic ‘Rajon Ki Baoli’, a famous stepwell inside Mehrauli Archaeological Park, as a new location for shooting.

The stepwell was commissioned in 1506 by Daulat Khan, an administrator of the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. The enclosure of ‘Rajon Ki Baoli’ includes a mosque and a tomb.

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According to data from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Delhi chapter office, only one film has been shot at ‘Rajon Ki Baoli’ so far.

“We shot the first Bollywood film titled Ul Jalool Ishq starring Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Varma and Fatima Sana Shaikh at ‘Rajon Ki Baoli’ in February. This place had not been explored before for film shootings,” said Javed Khan, the line producer of the film.

If Bollywood is exploring new heritage structures and monuments to shoot, it is also because they are being conserved and maintained, an ASI official said.

He added that some monuments like Red Fort and Qutub Minar continue to be industry’s favourite because of their historical significance.

“From February, 2022 to January, 2023, Red Fort hosted seven film shoots, and from February, 2023 to January, 2024, it witnessed five shoots. Since February, 2024 till date, it has been the location for three movies,” the ASI data reads.

“Qutub Minar saw three shoots in 2022-23 period, six shoots in 2023-24, and three shoots from February till date,” the data added.

In the past two years, films such as Fateh, Juloos, Shankara, Miss World Promo, and others have been shot at the Red Fort.

Previously, films like Delhi-6, PK, Fanaa, Love Aaj Kal, and Bajrangi Bhaijaan were also filmed there. Qutub Minar has hosted shooting of films like Ul Jalool Ishq, Fateh, documentaries, and short films in the last two years. Earlier, movies like Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, Jannat 2, Cheeni Kam, and Kick were also shot at this monument.

Meanwhile, filming at other monuments such as Hauz Khas, Purana Qila, Humayun’s Tomb, Tughlaqabad Fort, Safdarjung Tomb, among others has ranged between one to four shoots.

Officials of Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), responsible for ‘Delhi Film Policy-2022’ stated that filmmakers are also exploring other locations for shooting in Delhi.

“We get requests for shooting permissions for places like Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk, Town Hall, schools in NDMC areas, Rajghat Road, Yamuna River front and others,” shared a tourism official.

Since the launch of film policy, the officials said they have received 100 applications out of which 23 shoots, including films and web series, have been completed.

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Requests have been received for 71 locations out of which 35 locations have been approved.

In May this year, Patriot filed an RTI query asking DTTDC if there was a single window clearance system and whether line producers have to go to multiple departments to seek permission for shooting. The department replied, “It is informed that the e-Film clearances is completely an online system under single window and is being used regularly by national and international producers, wherein permission is accorded in 15 days.”