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Monday December 8, 2008

A way to garner reel fame for our city


AWARDING Shah Rukh Khan the Datukship makes a lot of sense. Famous singers and movie stars are a special breed of people. They crave recognition, praise and publicity.

This award by the Malacca government on Shah Rukh Khan is an invitation to him to return to the city and make more movies on location, and perhaps sing songs about this historical city.

Movies and songs (and books) that revolve around a city tend to give more publicity to that city than millions of ringgit on advertisements in the media.

Case in point; a recent Jason Bourne movie featuring Goa in India brought in lots of tourists after the release of the movie. Visitors to Vietnam increased after a James Bond movie release. I met a student from China recently, and he said he decided to study in Malaysia because of Jackie Chan movies that featured Kuala Lumpur.

A recent email message from a relative who lives in Vancouver said her friends over there know about Petronas Twin Towers from a Sean Connery movie, though the landmark was portrayed unfavourably in the movie .

I remember my Form Three teacher singing the song Isle of Capri in class when he was presenting the geography of the Mediterrean area. I have not visited Capri yet, but one day I shall.

Cities made famous and immortalised by movies and songs include Casablanca, Bali, Singapore, New York, Miami, Las Vegas, San Frsncisco, Rome, Barcelona, Bombay, Havana, Jamaica. The list goes on

Yes, the award makes good business sense because it will bring in immense returns on investment in the long run.

G.K. LIM,

Kuala Lumpur.

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