20.2.26

We’re going on a Bollywood adventure today, we’ve been so excited about this.

The train was fabulous yesterday, so hoping today is equally great.

Our tour started at 11am, we were meeting our guide, a former actor, now writer and director at Bollywood Park. We’re tuk tuk addicts now and weaved our way along the mad streets of Mumbai.

Another perfect driver. Our guide was running late, he messaged to say he’d meet us on the bus.

Next to the waiting area were the saddest looking living conditions. It’s hard to believe there’s still such places in 2026.

As planned Rahul jumped onto the bus and apologised profusely. There’s just us and a couple from Australia with this private tour. Most of the others on the bus haven’t got a guide.

Thank goodness he was there to explain, we thought it was a checkpoint with so many Police checking vehicles on a building site. In fact these are the studios where filming is done, and the police are a security measure for many wealthy people and famous actors.

The building sites continued, sorry, sets, until we came across one area where filming was taking place.

We were able to get off the bus and watch them shooting a scene, no photos allowed. It was sad to see beggars and security, but Rahul explained that they’re all actors, nothing was real.

Nearby was another shoot, for the same TV series. We were allowed a quick photo there.

Next, a large garden where the current set was being changed for something else. And monkeys! We saw monkeys.

The most interesting set was a 1995 temple building. It’s been used in many films and series, in various guises.

Afte shootings are finished it must be painted white and left empty, for the next shoots.

The temple in various guises..

We saw a few other buildings, a garage, court house, school /hospital /legal building and a long tarmaced road used in horror films, kidnapping, bombings, car explosions etc.

Next, into the Bollywood world..woohooo

The iillusion section was good fun.

Next we met this guy, famous apparently

We had coffee with our fellow tourers and Rahul brought paneer masala to share, also gave us crisps, biscuits and coffee. He’s a really nice man. He showed us some clips of him as a chief policeman in a very long running soap.

Rahul

The moment we’d been waiting for.. The show…

This man did train and helicopter sound effects with just his voice through a microphone.

It was impressive, but so loud. Liz’s phone was sending decibel alerts.

Totally irrelevant to the show.. But my dad can do a mean underground train on the Mike, only not as loud.

Rahul was excited to see what we thought of the show…

We we’re totally honest with him, he devised the tours, it’s his livelihood.. We really expected to see dancers and stars in Bollywood costumes. The itinerary talked of doing dancing and singing, sounded like a small workshop, we had hoped to learn a few moves and have the chance to join in.

He didnt understand the problem, the dancers were doing Bollywood dancing. We compared it to going to watch the ballet, or Scottish dancing with the performers being in track suits. He then totally got it and was so very lovely and full of ideas to improve the tour. He thanked us for honest feedback.

He insisted on arranging a 50% discount and paid for our tuk tuk to a nearby shopping centre as we wanted to explore the shops.

We went to Oberai mall. It was full of mostly designer names, but also M&S and Accessorize etc.

I bought a pair of earrings in Accessorize. They were less than 3 pounds in their 70% off sale.

We had delicious Chinese food in the food court. It was weird as just didn’t feel like we were in India at all with Burger King, Subway etc there.

Nothing else caught our eye and with nowhere to rush to we got a tuk tuk to another mall a couple of km away, Inorbit.

I bleeped coming out of one shop, the security guy waved me on. A bit later I bleeped again. The female security woman made me empty my bag and I went on and out until we identified it was my purse bleeping.

The earrings.. In a paper bag, with sellotape across the opening. Did I have my receipt? No, it was huge and I emptied my bag of all receipts at the mall. How did I pay.. Cash…

She wasn’t going to leave it. Are you going to call the Police I asked. We will ask Accessorize she said. Come.. It was at Oberai, not here. Come.

We went down a level to Accessorize. I suggested they call the other branch, as there won’t have been many English people buying earrings in there today. The shop assistant pointed out the sellotape bag and shrugged.

The security lady thanked me. I said, errr… Sorry? Yes sorry. What a palaver. It really pissed me off to be honest. She’d be a useless detective or a diplomatic relations official.

I removed the security tag and off we went.

A bit more browsing before heading back to the street to look for a tuk tuk back to Retro land.

Another exciting day ahead tomorrow.