Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

I had heard from old folks that a portion of the film 'Jewel Thief' was shot at Singtam on the road stretch opposite Thakurbari Mandir, where Dev Anand was running at the road chased by Police, but sadly, that shot never made it to the silver screen. Two major Hindi films were shot in Sikkim - 'Romeo in Sikkim' and 'Road to Sikkim' but I have no knowledge whether the film had any scene at Singtam.   Then, in the mid-90s came the Hindi film 'Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat', the debut film of Rani Mukherjee, where I was part of a crowd watching the shooting done near the old STNM Hospital flyover. One of the songs Palkon Mein Sapne Chamke Ahista beautifully sang by our own Nepali singer Poornima (Sushma Shrestha) is shot in different locales of Sikkim including Changu Lake and of course Singtam. The video of the song is given below, and just watching her jumping from one stone to another, she had a sudden slip at the riverside near Golitar.    

ROMEO IN SIKKIM was a Hindi film released in 1975. Shyam Pradhan, the lead actor from Gangtok, Sikkim through this film became the first Nepali origin to do a lead role in a Hindi film. The film is today remembered for its evergreen song "Jiska Sapna" by Mukesh.

  Romeo in Sikkim actor Shyam Pradhan felicitated at 41st Singtam Basibiyalo

Sikkim became part of the mighty Indian Union in 1975, and in the last 37 years, a small Himalayan kingdom has transformed itself into one of the most beautiful tourist centers in the world. The same year, a milestone was accomplished in Sikkim in the world of Indian Cinema, but more than three decades later, the story seems forgotten by the wheel of the clock. I wanted to be part of the history of reintroducing the stories of Romeo in Sikkim, a Hindi film with a few landmarks still unknown to many. Romeo in Sikkim is the first Hindi film produced by Sikkim and the first Nepali actor to lead in a Bollywood film (Shyam Pradhan). Shyam Pradhan went on to act in another film, the first Hindi-Nepali bilingual feature film that never saw the light of day. He later went on to make two successful Nepali movies, Bhool and Sanjiwani. For information, the Nepali film Sanjiwani was made in three languages simultaneously: Nepali, Bengali, and Hindi. The Hindi version has yet to be ...

This beautiful song is sang by Suman Kalyanpur.

  Movie : Romeo in Sikkim (1975) Music Director : Vishwanath   Singer(s) : Mukesh   Lyricists : Shaili Shailendra Tum hi toh ho jiska sapna maine dekha tha jaane kabse maine tumko apna maine samja tha tum hi toh ho Sabhi kuch mila tha lekin phir bhi kuch to kami thee meri khushi main dekha jo tumko dil ne ye jaana tumhi nahin thee meri zindagi main tumhi nahin thee meri zindagi main tumhi toh ho jiska sapna Ab to bahon mein aa jao chod bhi do tum yeh sharmana sikh liya hai kabse tumne kudh bhi tadapna aur tadpana kuch bhi tadapna aur tadpana tum hi toh ho jiska sapna

Aa mere saathi tujko bula rahi hai yeh pyasi pyasi bahen yeh pyari pyari rahen aa mere saathi Aas par jeena main ab nahin chahta sabra kar dheere chal sang hai raat ka aa mere saathi tujko bula rahi hai  video: you tube

--> BY SHITAL PRADHAN There are talks of the documentary film Sikkim directed by the maestro Satyajit Ray. Ray had highlighted the monarchy rule of Sikkim then in 1971. Moreover thought to be lost had been recovered and converted into DVD format but is yet to make its first screening. So in this talk of a town scenario let’s talk about those Hindi films that were shot in Sikkim. Satyajit Ray discussing Sikkim with King of Sikkim The panoramic beauty of the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim had always attracted Hindi cinema to capture its unparalleled beauty. It was 1967 Dev Anand starrer Jewel Thief that manages to have an everlasting impact on the natural beauty of Sikkim recorded on Hindi celluloid. Jewel Thief was shot at Gangtok, the then capital of an Independent country called Sikkim. This film is regarded as one of the milestones in terms of Hindi cinema is a concern. Apart from Jewel Thief, I want to mention the names of two Hindi films that were made wit...