Berlin, 4.1.2012 Berlin in Bollywood. The film “Don 2- The King is back” is on course to set new box-office records as it premieres in India and is also showing signs of becoming an international blockbuster. Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s new film may well lead to a boom in the number of visitors to Berlin, as the German capital is the main setting for this blockbuster action film. Audiences in India love the film; there is a rush for tickets as most showings are sold out and reviews have been positive.

“Berlin now also plays a leading role in India. Thanks to Shah Rukh Khan’s new blockbuster the city has been opened up to millions of people in India and Asia. Bollywood films are seen by hundreds of millions of filmgoers and the most enthusiastic fans follow their idols everywhere“, says Burkhard Kieker, Managing Director of visitBerlin. “The film “Don 2- The King is back” creates marketing advantages which would be unthinkable and unaffordable through advertising. Berlin did not mean much to most Indians. That will all change thanks to Shah Rukh Khan and there will be noticeable effects on tourism in Berlin in the coming years.”

The film production was brought to Berlin thanks to a joint initiative by visitBerlin, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Berlin Partner and Berlin’s airports. Shah Rukh Khan kept Berlin in suspense for 50 days during filming in autumn 2010. In the film Kahn’s alias Don is involved in a top speed pursuit through the Gendarmenmarkt. Filming also took place on location at otherfamous landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Cathedral, on Alexanderplatz, at the East Side Gallery, in the State Opera and the Olympic Stadium. visitBerlin has created the “Don in Berlin” city map highlighting filming locations with descriptions of the scenes in which they feature. People anywhere in the world can download and print the map from the internet.

3,500 prints of the film are in circulation in India. A trailer for Berlin is shown before every film. This trailer, which was produced by visitBerlin in cooperation with Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, will also be included on the DVD. The German/Indian co-production by Excel Entertainment and Film Base Berlin is the first Bollywood film to be shot in the German capital. The German premiere of the film, supported by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, will take place together with the film’s stars on the 11th February at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) and will be on general release in Germany from the 16th February 2012.

Further information: http://www.visitberlin.de/de/artikel/don-2-der-film

City map: http://visitberlin.de/sites/default/files/don2_stadtplan.pdf