Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a 1995 Hindi romantic musical directed by Aditya Chopra in his debut, follows two young non-resident Indians who fall in love on a European trip, while the bride's father has already promised her to someone else. It was a huge hit, the highest-grossing Indian film of 1995, and it won ten Filmfare Awards, a record for a single film at the time. Its success pushed filmmakers to target Indian audiences abroad, and it spawned many imitations. The film is still shown at Mumbai's Maratha Mandir cinema, making it one of the longest continuous runs in Indian cinema.

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.