Chander Pahar (Mountain of the Moon), the first Indian film shot extensively in
South Africa, has led to an increase in interest in the country, especially from
Bengali viewers of the movie.
Hanneli Slabber, country manager of South Africa Tourism said: “We have
received a lot of queries and there is a huge interest in South Africa because of
the movie. We are working with Bengal tourism officials to help them put
together various packages and options.”
Over 45 days the movie made use of various locations to bring the story,
originally a novel written by Bibhutibhushan Banerjee, to life. These included
Johannesburg, Mpumalanga, the Elands River Valley, the Blyde River Canyon, the
Kruger National Park, the Drakensberg mountains and the Kalahari Desert.
Directed by Kamaleshwar Mukherjee and produced by Mahendra Soni and
Shrikant Mohta through their production house Shree Venkatesh Films, Chander
Pahar tells the story of a young Bengali man’s quests and adventures in Africa
from 1909 to 1910.
The cast features a host of South African actors including Martin Cito Otto from
South African rock band Wonderboom, Paul Ditchfield (Stander, Flight of the
Phoenix), David James (Pad na jou Hart, District 9), Peter Moruakgomo (Scandal!,
Generations), Matthew Monika (Yesterday), Rafiq Jajbhay (Diana), Luthuli Dlamini
(Scandal!, Generations) and Gerard Rudolf (Wolwedans in die Skemer, Layla
Fourie).
Visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w54LYEZE5A0 to view the trailer.
