Today I got the opportunity to see an advanced screening of Wes Anderson's new film, The Darjeeling Limited, which was filmed in India. Because I'm not very good at movie reviews, yet I feel I should start this post with a short description of the plot, I will steal from Wikipedia:

"The story involves three estranged brothers (played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman) who take a train ride through India after the death of their father. The fictional long-distance train 'Darjeeling Limited', apparently named after the short narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, provides the backdrop for the brothers trying to grow closer together."

The movie was so-so at best (I'm an Anderson fan), and I have a good feeling that if I hadn't been in India six months ago, I wouldn't have been nearly as captivated by it. Much of the movie takes place on the train (which is much nicer and cleaner than any train I ever took in India), but every once in a while the group of brothers wander into small towns and villages. In one scene, they pull up to an airport, and much to my surprise, it was one that I had spent several hours at while waiting for a flight. No, it wasn't one of the popular ones in Mumbai or Delhi or Goa (though I spent several hours at each of these too), but a tiny, single-runway shack in Udaipur that we drove 8 hours to get to. I was completely blown away that of all the airports in India (and there's a lot), Wes Anderson happened to choose the same dinky stretch of tarmac that I had randomly flown out of.

I don't even remember the name of the place, but Wikipedia tells me it's Maharana Pratap Airport (IATA: UDR) and it's actually located 22 kilometers outside of Udaipur. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures when I was there, so proving this story might be tough unless I can find some online. Can anyone help me out here?

Anyway, I was excited. It's the closest I'll ever get to Owen Wilson, I'm sure.

Filed under: Asia, India, Airports