Where is Hanshi Dao, the country in Alia Bhatt's Jigra, where people are jailed for crying, killed for drug trafficking?

Vasan Bala's Jigra sees Alia Bhatt's Satya try to rescue her brother Ankur (played by Vedang Raina), who is lodged in a prison in Hanshi Dao.

Alia Bhatt's Jigra was released in theatres on Friday. The film from Vasan Bala sees the actor play a sister desperate to free her brother from a foreign prison where he is on death row. Even as the action drama is receiving positive response from the audience and a section of critics, its narrative has evoked curiosity among many viewers. The film is set in the East Asian country of Hanshi Dao, an island nation with an autocratic and strict view to many things. Here's all you need to know about this country.

Alia Bhatt's Jigra is based in the fictitious country of Hanshi Dao but was shot in Singapore.

What is Hanshi Dao like?

In the film, Hanshi Dao is the place where Vedang Raina's character Ankur and his cousin travel to for a business trip. However, they are arrested there for drug possession and then Ankur is framed for drug trafficking. Many lawyers shown in the film say that Hanshi Dao has only one punishment for drug trafficking - death. Later, Alia's character Satya mentions that the country has fines even for laughing and crying, highlighting the Big Brother-esque nature of the country. Throwaway scenes show how words like revolution and dissent are banned in the country as well, further solidifying the nation's dictatorial nature. The characters are shown speaking Mandarin, signifying it is in East Asis with Chinese influence.

Where is Hanshi Dao?

In the film, Hanshi Dao is shown as an island to the south of Malaysia, just off the coast of the south east Asian country. In reality, the country of Hanshi Dao does not exist. However, its nature and geography is an amalgamation of several Asian countries. There is no island nation next to Malaysia but there are two small countries bordering it - Singapore and Indonesia.

Singapore served as Hanshi Dao in the Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina-starrer (Instagram)

Hanshi Dao's architecture is similar to Singapore, mainly because that is where the film was shot. The harsh punishment for drug use and trafficking shown in the film mirrors how Indonesia deals with the crime. While the festivals and autocratic tendencies shown in the film are similar to Hong Kong and North Korea. It should be noted that a similar premise of an Indian jailed in an Asian country for drug trafficking being rescued was used in the 1993 film Gumraah, which was set in Hong Kong.

All about Jigra

Jigra is directed by Vasan Bala and produced by Alia Bhatt and Karan Johar's production houses. The film has received mixed reviews but largely praise from the audiences. Its opening day collection of ₹4.25 crore has been somewhat lukewarm though.