Uttarakhand turns into favourite destination for cine celebrities

Uttarakhand is fast becoming a captivating destination for celebrities and affluent people to enjoy a beautiful mountain retreat and stay away from the hustle-bustle of city life.

Latest to join the list is actor Deepika Padukone. The Bollywood stunner arrived in the hill state on late Saturday on a break with her friends.

After landing at Jollygrant airport, around 25 km from here, she headed straight to a spa resort around 20 km up in the mountains near Rishikesh.

Over the past few months, a number of celebrities from Bollywood and cricket world have given their oft-preferred global destinations a miss, choosing the state’s quiet hill towns for a quick Himalayan escapade.

Some of them were Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan with actor-politician wife Jaya Bachchan, actor Anushka Sharma with her cricketer-beau Virat Kohli, fashion designer Manish Malhotra, actor Arshad Warsi and filmmaker Kabir Khan.

Business magnate Anil Ambani along with his wife Tina also enjoyed a vacation in Uttarakhand recently.

In a series of tweets, Amitabh Bachchan, who rang in the New Year in Uttarakhand, had described how he loved the mountain air. “After visuals of the sun and the Himalays…near divinity never before or after,” he tweeted. Sample another one: “The sun, the cold, the clear sky, the quiet of rushing breeze..it’s like a cleansing lotion..body needs it..so i give it!!.”

With more and more celebrities spending time amid the serene Himalayas in Uttarakhand, experts feel that the state government could play up the celebrity visits to promote tourism.

“It will not only help promote tourism in our state but will also give a boost to employment to local youths who depend on tourism for their livelihood,” retired bureaucrat SS Pangtey, who is considered an authority on Uttarakhand tourism, told HT.

He also underlined the importance of promoting film shooting destinations of the hill state for an “even wider” impact. “It will give an even bigger push to tourism,” he said.

First Published: Apr 02, 2017 19:52 IST