Blade Runner is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Set in a decaying Los Angeles in 2019, it follows former cop Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, as he hunts rogue replicants, bioengineered humans who have escaped back to Earth. The film initially underperformed in North American theaters and divided critics, but its visuals and themes grew into a cult following. Its high-tech but decaying future shaped cyberpunk and neo-noir, and it has influenced many films, games, anime and series. Seven versions exist because of studio-requested changes, and in 1993 it was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.