insert zoomed-in version of Map of location
https://maps.app.goo.gl/wbtWoLxoBySvjTMq8
Watch it here:
The Songs
Then and Now (film still + current photo)
Did you know?
This bridge became synonymous with the early 2000s London experience, and is now part of a more broader iconic trail of landmarks across the capital.
For this stop on the tour you're welcome to stand anywhere along the bridge or even on the embankment on either side of the river wherever you feel comfortable, wherever you are able to stop and take some time listen to this clip amidst the hustle and bustle of the City.
Opening in 2000, it quickly earned the nickname ‘wobbly bridge’ after becoming overwhelmed with initial heavy foot traffic and actually swaying side to side. Don’t worry though! It’s a vital connector between the historic areas of the City of London and the cultural hub of Bankside. Similarly, it has become a key connector for audiences in helping them to recognise London as a filming location in the 2000s.
We’re here, for a specific reason though.
Many tourists now do their best to replicate Katrina Kaif’s walk down the bridge, which she did in Namastey London in 2007. Talk about aura!
Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra also performed a hugely memorable dance sequence for the film Salaam-e-Ishq, in 2005. Scan the QR code for links to these incredible scenes and music videos. I still think about Priyanka’s churidar suit from the music video daily – it was so vibrant against the backdrop of the Thames! Quick PSA, I DON’T recommend looking at the water too closely…)
Once you’ve finished listen to me, go and wander up and down the bridge! it's a great photo opportunity not only for its interesting architecture but also because of what you can see from either side. This is London at its finest.
Millennium bridge was built to mark the turn of the century and we can use this angle to look at the history of the South Asian diaspora in Britain since then. We can see the upward transformation of this community in the UK from so many angles: through fashion economic contributions political presence and cultural integration and the ever increasing diversification of this city, indeed, this nation.
Take Punjabi MC - in 2003, 'Mundian To Bach Ke' became the first Bhangra track to break the UK Top 10, years before Jay-Z ever got involved, may I add! When Jay-Z heard it in a Swiss nightclub and phoned in his verse for the remix, it wasn't Bollywood or Hollywood crossing over into our world, it was our world – the South Asian British one - reaching into theirs.