Thalapathy 65 to Dhaam Dhoom: Five Kollywood films with shooting locations in Russia

To stay true to the authenticity of a script, filmmakers are very particular about shooting locations. If a particular script demands shooting in foreign locations, they are up for it. Several Kollywood films have had shooting in foreign locations to stay true to their scripts and give movie buffs a great experience while watching scenes shot in exotic locations. Among other places, Russia is one foreign country that our Kollywood filmmakers have been choosing a lot of late. ‘Thalapathy 65’ will be the latest film to be shot in Russia. Its director, Nelson Dilipkumar, is in Russia, scouting locations for the film’s shoot. Here are a few Kollywood films with shooting locations in Russia.

Even as Thalapathy fans are still high on Vijay’s latest release ‘Master’, work on his next project has already begun. And Nelson Dilipkumar, the director of his next film, which is titled ‘Thalapathy 65’ for now, is in Russia, looking for perfect locations to start the shooting soon. A few days ago, the director has shared some photographs from Russia. While the official announcement of the film was made a couple of months ago, the actor is yet to start shooting for the film. So, this update from the film’s director is a welcome thing for Vijay’s die-hard fans.

Vikram’s upcoming film, ‘Cobra’, is said to have been shot extensively in Russia. This film also marks the debut of former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan on the big screen. Irfan, who recently came back to India after a schedule in Russia, shared with us his experiences of shooting in extreme weather conditions in Russia. He told us, “I have been to Kashmir and many other destinations during winter, but I have never been to a colder place than Saint Petersburg. It was minus 20 degree Celsius during the shoot and the moment I took off my headscarf, my ears went red and I started shivering.” Vikram was also there in Russia to complete the schedule. The teaser of the film was released in January and it is said that the makers are looking for a summer release.

Madhavan’s film, ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’, is one of the most-awaited films this year. The biopic traces the life of former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was falsely charged with espionage. The film was shot in Russia apart from locations in India, Georgia, France and Serbia. The team had shot in Russia in 2019 and the actor had tweeted that they managed to wrap up the shoot five days ahead of the schedule despite tough weather conditions there. Madhavan himself is directing the film. The film also has Simran and Rajeev Ravindranathan playing prominent roles.

This is another upcoming film in Kollywood, starring Arun Vijay, Vijay Antony and Akshara Haasan in prominent roles. One schedule of the film was shot in Moscow and Saint Petersberg in Russia. The film was also shot in the busy lanes of Kolkata and another schedule happened in Kazakhstan. The film is said to be an action entertainer. The film is directed by Naveen, who made his debut with the 2013 film ‘Moodar Koodam’.

This 2008 film ‘Dhaam Dhoom’ , which stars Jayam Ravi in the lead role, too, was shot in Russia. The film also has Jayaram, Kangana Ranaut and Lakshmi Rai playing prominent roles. The film was shot extensively in Russia for over 40 days in different exotic locations in the country. Unfortunately, during the film’s shooting in Russia, its director Jeeva passed away after he suffered cardiac arrest. And the film was completed by Jeeva’s assistant (Manikandan), his wife (Anees), and his mentor (PC Sreeram).