Evita is a 1996 musical film about Eva Perón, the Argentine actress who became one of the most powerful political figures in her country as the wife of President Juan Perón. The story was first a 1976 concept album by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, then a 1978 stage musical. Film rights passed between studios and directors for more than fifteen years before Alan Parker directed it, with Madonna in the title role and Antonio Banderas as Che, the narrator. Filming took place in Buenos Aires and Budapest, and protests in Argentina worried that the film would damage Eva's image. Critics were divided, praising Madonna's performance and the music but finding fault with the pacing. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for You Must Love Me.

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.