5 films shot in Sri Lanka

Travel to a far-off place conveniently from your couch with these five films that were shot in Sri Lanka.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Though a famous story set in Thailand, the 1957 film version wasn’t shot in the Land of Smiles but in the Sri Lankan highlands where a temporary bridge was built over the Kelani River.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

This 1984 action-adventure is the second instalment in the Indiana Jones franchise set in India. When the filmmakers were denied permission to film in India due to the government finding the script offensive, they moved the product to Kandy in Sri Lanka.

A Common Man 

A thriller shot in Colombo, the 2013 A Common Man is an American/Sri Lankan production that won for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor at the Madrid International Film Festival.

The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo 

This 1997 children’s live-action film follows young Mowgli and his jungle friends as they try to escape a scout from the circus.

Elephant Walk

Though dated now, this 1954 film starring Elizabeth Taylor offers a glimpse at colonial life in British Ceylon about a young bride of a wealthy tea planter.