Incredible India: Bollywood takes a pan-India appeal

It is well known that cricket and cinema are the opium for us Indians. What's interesting then is the fact that this year has seen a good mix of Bollywood films hit the big screen - together, they have thrown different states of the country under the spotlight.

Shraddha Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor star in Vishal Bhardwaj's big screen adaptation of Hamlet. The ambitious drama is not only set in Kashmir, but it also absorbs the local milieu

So while Highway was shot in Rajasthan, Haryana and Kashmir, 2 States juxtaposed the idiosyncrasies of people from Delhi and Tamil Nadu. hitlist whips out the list of films that have focused on different states of the country...

Haider
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
State: Kashmir

Lowdown: Bhardwaj has set his adaptation of Hamlet in the picturesque state of Kashmir. Given the troubled state's ongoing conflict, the filmmaker thought that it served as the perfect backdrop for his Shakespearean endeavour.

Dedh Ishqiya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
State: Uttar Pradesh

Lowdown: Set in Mahmudabad, this film is known as much for its star cast and plot as it is for its aristocratic ambience and lyrical Urdu dialogues. Without a doubt, they would have seemed out of place in a film set in any other location.

2 States
Director: Abhishek Varman
State: Tamil Nadu, Delhi

Lowdown: With the protagonists belonging to Delhi and Tamil Nadu, their love story bridges the North-South divide. Not to forget that they meet and fall in love in a college in Gujarat.

Gunday
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
State: West Bengal

Lowdown: Think of the coal mafia menace and your thoughts will veer towards the mineral-rich eastern states. No wonder then, Gunday, was set in West Bengal.

Highway
Director: Imtiaz Ali
State: Haryana

Lowdown: Not only does this road movie have the lead role played by a Haryanvi character (essayed by Randeep Hooda), the film is also set in the interiors of Haryana.

Jal
Director: Girish Malik
State: Gujarat

Lowdown: The state and its vast desert formed the backdrop for this story of industrial manipulation, its effect on the water cycle and the resulting draught.

Finding Fanny
Director: Homi Adajani
State: Goa

Lowdown: This fun film showcases the laidback attitude of the people of a state that not only loves life but also lives it up in style - not to forget an ample dose of quirkiness.

Kaanchi
Director: Subhash Ghai
State: Himachal Pradesh

Lowdown: Ghai's affair with this particular state is retold through the story of a brave girl who won't hesitate to leave behind the place she loves in order to avenge
those who killed her lover.

Bobby Jasoos
Director: Sneh Bajad
State: Andhra Pradesh

Lowdown: Given that the film is about a Hyderabad-based girl who decides to go off the beaten track by choosing to become a detective, this
film also showcases Hyderabadi culture.

Gulaab Gang
Director: Soumik Sen
State: Madhya Pradesh

Lowdown: Here the Gulaab Gang members - a bunch of activists and vigilantes - wear pink sarees and take up issues like domestic violence, dowry system, rape, electricity matters, and education.

Miss Lovely
Director: Ashim Ahluwalia
State: Maharashtra

Lowdown: Although there has been a spate of Mumbai-centric films this year like any other year, this period film did a fine job at capturing the essence of this ever-amusing city.

Aakhon Dekhi
Director: Rajat Kapoor
State: Delhi

Lowdown: Dotted with interesting characters, this down-to-earth film showcases the unsettling realities of a harsh life. What better backdrop than old Delhi?

Mary Kom
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
State: Manipur

Lowdown: Seldom do we come across a mainstream film from one of the Seven Sisters. Mary Kom may dwell more on the boxing champion's life story, but it also throws light on Manipur and how it has been a victim of neglect for way too long.