Monday, August 9, 2010

Come to Malaysia lah....

So we all know Bollywood and Tamil movie makers are obsessed with foreign locations for song sequence picturizations. Sometimes they stop by at Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand to shoot a song sequence. But there is no doubt Indian film makers simply prefer western shooting locations over those within their own country, or even within this region itself.

Instead of wasting money going all the way to America, Europe or Australia to capture the glamour of western architecture, film producers might want to consider some shooting locations here in Malaysia that offer European-styled architecture to add more spice and flavour into their song sequences. Here are some...

1) Fraser's Hill

The small town on Fraser's Hill is somewhat like a Scottish hamlet. All the buildings share the same grey, moss-infected buildings. The hill station is after all named after Louise James Fraser, a Scotsman, who started a tin-ore trading post towards the end of the 19th century.

Even the post office is build like a Scottish bungalow...

Another bungalow with the same structure on the hill station...

Check out that mist!

The iconic clock tower at the town's square...

The Smokehouse Hotel...

A little western styled cottage like one you can see in the English country side...


2) Comar Tropicale

In Berjaya Hills Resort on Bukit Tinggi, there is a French-themed hotel called Colmar Tropicale, which was modeled after the original Colmar Village in Alsace, France. Walking into the hotel's grounds, one will get the feeling as if he or she is in a classical French village!

The elegant entrance...

Beautiful....

You cannot get more French in the tropics than this!!!


Imagine if they shot Hosanna... here!

Awwwww... so nice...

3) Taiping

I just have to promote my own hometown don't I? Hahaha... but seriously. Apart from Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Malacca, Taiping is one of the Malaysian towns with the most colonial buildings. Sure they are not as well preserved compared to the other three big cities mentioned, but still we do have a sizable number of colonial buildings. After all, we house most of the country's firsts, like the first train station, the first golf club and much more.


Beautiful or not???

Postcard perfection...

Taiping's skyline as seen from Maxwell Hill

Ulu Sepetang Ayanar Temple

Maxwell Hill Murugan Temple

The iconic Taiping clock tower

A close-up of the red London telephone booth - so London-ish, right?

Kama Lodge - it simply looks nice!


One of the few well-maintained colonial buildings - now a military office I think...

Taiping District Office...

One of the few well-preserved World War II shop houses...

The Perak Museum - the first museum in Malaysia built by the old masters...

King Edward VII School: A major shooting location for the hit Bollywood Bachan-starer Paa because of its striking colonial features...

4) Cameron Highlands

Another hill station. This time it was founded by a William Cameron who was a British surveyor. It houses many tea plantations, orchards, vegetable farms and flower gardens. Due to the cool climate, it is a retreat from the hot tropical weather of the lowlands for both the Europeans during the colonial era and the local and foreign tourists today.

A tea plantation on Cameron Highlands....

The Smokehouse - a Tudor-styled local inn

The Lake House - another Tudor styled local inn...

A beautiful hotel on the highlands - Tudor style!

A red-brick convent school on the highlands.... so English!!!!!!