Built in 1923, the bridge has appeared in films like Ganga Ki Saugand, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Bunty Aur Babli and more
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; July 15, 2019)

On Friday, the Uttarakhand government shut the 96-year-old suspension bridge Lakshman Jhula in Rishikesh for the public after a Public Works Department (PWD) report stated that the bridge was in a bad condition and could not “sustain more traffic in its present state”. The development will not only have an impact on the locals and tourists but also many film producers as the iconic bridge is one of Bollywood’s favourite shooting locations.

Om Prakash, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), PWD, Uttarakhand, said that orders were issued to have the bridge shut on the PWD-appointed consultant’s recommendation. “It is not certain when the bridge will be opened,” he said.

The bustling 450 ft iron suspension bridge has long been one of the most popular shooting locations in Rishikesh, where everything from movies to television shows to ad campaigns have been shot. It has featured in a number of films, including Amitabh Bachchan’s 1978 film Ganga Ki Saugand, Ayushmann Khurrana’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha and last year’s Batti Gul Meter Chalu.

SALMAN KHAN’S NEXT MAY BE THE FIRST FILM TO GET AFFECTED
Shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Inshallah, starring Salman Khan and Alia Bhatt, is scheduled for next month in Rishikesh, Haridwar and Uttarkashi. A Rishikesh-based line producer says, “In April, Sanjay did a recce in Haridwar and Rishikesh. We don’t have the list of locations yet, but one of the major locations was Lakshman Jhula. It won’t be possible for his crew and him to shoot there now.”

‘ONCE THE AUDIENCE SEES THE BRIDGE, THEY KNOW IT IS RISHIKESH’
Line producers say that Lakshman Jhula in Rishikesh is as iconic as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Taj Mahal in Agra and the India Gate in Delhi. “Even for those scenes that are not shot on the Lakshman Jhula, directors instruct us to pick spots from where the bridge can be seen in the background, like it was seen in Qarib Qarib Singlle. Similarly, if a shot is placed in a restaurant nearby, they prefer frames in which the Lakshman Jhula is visible. Once the audience sees the bridge, they know the place,” says Nitin Pundir, a Rishikesh-based line producer. He adds, “Every year during the kanwar yatra, the bridge is shut because of traffic. Initially we thought that this time also it was because of the yatra but it seems the bridge is shut permanently.”



RULES WERE FLOUTED OPENLY, SAY PRODUCERS
While the spot has been popular for film shooting since the 1960s and 70s, permissions from multiple local authorities were required. And even back then, most of the time, rules were openly flouted. Javed, a Delhi-based line producer who was a part of the crew filming Dum Laga Ke Haisha at Lakshman Jhula, says, “Whenever we asked for permission to shoot at Lakshman Jhula, we were told to not allow more than 50 people together on it. But there was no way we could shoot with just 50 people. To shoot any sequence in a film, we need way more people including the actors, the key crew, the supporting cast and vehicles.”

A Delhi-based line producer adds, “While filming Dum Laga Ke Haisha, we had to put 20-30 dancers on the suspension bridge, which was against the set rules. But, we took the liberty to do that while shooting. Actually, in most cases, a situation like this is unavoidable. The situation is pretty similar with almost all the song sequences that are shot on the bridge.”

Another prominent line producer chips in, saying, “Riding a bike is not allowed on the bridge but the rule was flouted blatantly for multiple ad campaigns.”

TIME FOR THE SPOTLIGHT TO SHIFT TO THE RAM JHULA?
“Production houses can still shoot in Rishikesh, but it will be at Lakshman Jhula’s twin bridge Ram Jhula. It’s located only a few kilometres away. It’s not that popular right now, but we don’t have an option anymore,” line producer Pundir points out.

A Dehradun-based line producer states, “It’s a huge loss for several line producers because Lakshman Jhula is an iconic location. A lot of shooting-related queries from Indian as well as international production houses trickled in only for that location and of course, the Ganga ghat. However, it is better to take precautions than to regret later. Now that Lakshman Jhula is closed for good, it’s high time that we found our options. The state is blessed with a lot of natural beauty and there are plenty of untapped locations which will probably find their space in the spotlight now.”