Bengali film 'Chander Pahar' triggers interest in South Africa

Shot extensively in South Africa, Bengali blockbuster film "Chander Pahar (Mountain of the Moon)" has generated huge interest among travellers from West Bengal, said a South African tourism official.

Kamaleshwar Mukherjee's film, the most expensive Bengali celluloid outing till date, was filmed for 45 days in the 'Rainbow Nation'.

Based on author Bibhutibhushan Banerjee's novel, the movie was shot in locales like the Kruger National Park, Kalahari Desert, jungles of Mpumalanga, Elands River valley, Blyde River Canyon and the majestic Drakensberg Mountains.

Hanneli Slabber, country manager of South Africa Tourism told IANS: "We have received a lot of queries and there is a huge interest because of the movie."

The movie, which released December last year, has created a "tremendous" awareness about the variety the African country has to offer.

"We are working with Bengal tourism officials to help them put together various packages and options," Slabber said.

Among the four metropolitan cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore, the eastern metropolis ranks fourth in terms of number of tourists visiting South Africa.