ND Studio: A Major Attraction in Karjat

Bollywood drives the country crazy, it is one of the biggest industry. When Bollywood shifted to Karjat, this scenic village was on the map of not just directors but also tourists. ND Studio, started in 2005, has become a major stopover for people traveling to Karjat.

Started by art director Nitin Desai, the 274-acre studio has caught everyone's attention. Several Bollywood films, TV serials, commercial ads have been shot here. The studio houses two sound-proof air-conditioned floors (where Saawariya and Big Brother were shot) in addition to permanent sets of 1600 feet of Bombay town square (Traffic Signal and Nike ad were shot here),


Red Fort and Jaipur Fort (backdrop for Jodhaa Akbar) and the corporate office block (Lage Raho Munna Bhai). The lavish sets of Jodhaa Akbar became an attraction, the huge fort looked good and it remained there for quite some time after the movie release.

ND Studio is a good option for film-making, as the studio offers access to lakes, mountains and sets resembling Mumbai and to that matter many European locations too. Hollywood production houses are also slated to shoot at ND Studio. In October this year, 20th Century Fox plans to shoot its television serial, Walt Disney signed up last year to shoot at the studio for 10 weeks.

Actor Michael Douglas is expected to shoot here for his action thriller Racing The Monsoon, and our favorite Johnny Depp will be here for Mira Nair’s Shantaram.

A shot in the arm was tying up with Reliance, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, who acquired 50 per cent stake in it. Following which it was rechristened Big ND Studio. The studio proposes to house an amusement park which will be a tour of the Seven Wonders Of The World alongside India’s foremost forts and palaces including the Taj Mahal. It will cost visitors only Rs 999.