Foreign destinations are beckoning Bollywood. Several Bollywood films are now being shot in the exotic foreign locations – be it across Europe, America, Africa or Asia. The trend was started by none other than the 'Great Showman; the late Raj Kapoor with his first color film 'Sangam' in 1964. The film was directed and produced by Raj Kapoor himself which featured actors and actresses like Rajendra Kumar, Vyjayanthimala and Kapoor himself. The film's extended honeymoon sequences were shot across various cities in Europe – Paris, Venice and Switzerland. That was just the start – soon followed Pramod Chakravorty's 'Love in Tokyo' (1966) and Shakti Samanta's 'An Evening in Paris' (1967), which did extremely good at the box office. And since then, there is no looking back – Bollywood has made its second home in the foreign seas, surf and sands.

Well, the list of Bollywood films shot at foreign locales is escalating everyday. The coming soon Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi and Amrita Rao starrer 'Shortcut' is now being shot in Bangkok in full swing. Nikhil Advani's 'Chandni Chowk to China' featuring Akshay Kumar and the gorgeous Deepika Padukone has also got its major scenes shot in this exotic South-east Asian nation. Nagesh Kukunoor's recently released 'Bombay to Bangkok' starring Shreyas Talpade and Lena Chritensen also depicts the chemistry of two young hearts in this beautiful land. Below are some of the other hottest foreign locations where a large number of Bollywood films are being shot over the last few decades.

London:

With the Thames, London Eye, Big Ben and other picturesque landmarks making for the perfect backdrops, London has a close rapport with Bollywood. In the last couple of years itself, a large number of films have been shot in this spectacular city. 'Namastey London', 'Salam-e-Ishq', 'Cheeni Kum' 'Yaadein' and 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' to name a few.

South Africa:

South Africa is also among the hot destinations for the Bollywood film-makers. Films like 'Dil Ka Rishta', 'No Entry', 'Andaaz', 'Cash' were shot in this happening and colorful country. Many scenes of the recently released 'Race' were also shot in South Africa. "For me, South Africa will always be first choice because it offered me everything that a film-maker wants in a location," says Feroz Abbas Khan, director of the critically acclaimed 'Gandhi, My Father'. "It offers the best in technical support and it's significantly cheaper than, say, European locations. And most important, I loved the combination of Western professionalism with a huge dose of African warmth and hospitality," he adds. Three more movies 'God Tussi Great Ho', 'Sankee' and 'Ghajini' are currently being shot in South Africa.

Switzerland:

Switzerland still remains a dream destination for the Bollywood film-makers. Our own Yash Chopra and Switzerland share a very filmy affair – his films like 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', 'Lamhe', 'Chandni' are sublime evidences of Bollywood's confluence with paradise. The eponymous Chopra Lake in Switzerland is a tribute to the director of chiffon romances. In 2005, when Chopra's 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' completed 500 weeks in theatres, the consul of Switzerland in India honored Chopra for rediscovering Switzerland.

Australia:

The land of the kangaroos has also been tempting the Indian film fraternity for long. Films like 'Dil Chahta Hai', 'Salaam Namaste', 'Prem Aggan', 'Chak De India', 'Heyy Babyy' have been shot in this great nation which have done big business in India as well as abroad. The much anticipated 'Love Story 2050' by Harry Baweja starring Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra has also been shot in Australia. 'Victory', a sports film by debutant director Ajit Pal will have Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee and Amrita Rao in the lead. Bulk of the scenes of the film will be shot in Australia which will also star other cricketers like Allan Border, Mike Hussey and Jason Gillespie.

U.S.A:

The U.S.A. has also been captured on celluloid by the Bollywood film-makers. 'Lajja', 'Pardes', 'Kal Ho Naa Ho', 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' have been all shot in the U.S.A. Sanjay Gupta's 'Kaante' was almost completely shot in Los Angeles in a start-to-finish schedule.

Singapore:

This Asian country boasts of filming movies like 'Vaada – the Deadly Promise', 'Krrish' and 'Biwi No. 1' which made big moolah in India as well as outside. Low expenditures, easy connectivity, beautiful locations make Singapore a hot destination for Bollywood.

Mauritius:

This ravishing island nation offers very good shooting arrangements for Bollywood filmmakers – be it its scenic beauty or expert crew members. Films like 'Garam Masala', 'No Entry' have been shot here.

Many film-makers do shoot only the song part of their films in these exotic foreign locations. A classic case was the fantasy song sequence in Aishwarya Rai's Hindi debut 'Jeans', which had the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China and Empire State building as backdrops. Be it the shooting of the songs or the movies – Bollywood owes a lot to these splendid, picturesque foreign locations.