Forget Route 66 and the Champs Elysees - the Illawarra's own Sea Cliff Bridge may soon become one of the world's most recognised strips of road.Since it opened in 2005, the 665m-long bridge (pictured) has been the backdrop for 42 film and television shoots and commercials, as production companies utilise its smooth curves, dramatic cliff backdrop and breathtaking ocean views.And its star status is also on the rise in Bollywood, after a song sequence from the Indian film We Are Family was filmed on the bridge in 2009. The film, a remake of the Hollywood comedy-drama Stepmom, was released worldwide last year.Anupam Sharma of Sydney production company Films and Casting Temple said the bridge was increasingly on the radar of Bollywood and other international clients."We get so many queries," he said. "It's got so much character - the mountains on one side, the sea on the other - just one shot of a bridge like that says a million words."According to RTA data, commercials for tyres, petrol, engine oil and cars form the bulk of requests for use of the bridge, with prominent brands Bridgestone, Subaru and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S all making use of it.In 2008, Korean producers of a Zic Engine Oil commercial reportedly shot in Australia solely on the basis of the bridge, which links Coalcliff and Clifton. More than 50 staff then converged on the region, including helicopter crews to capture aerial shots of the Illawarra coastline.The bridge has also formed the backdrop for skin and hair-care commercials, fashion shoots, films and TV series.Filming on the bridge usually occurs in one of two ways: rolling, where a vehicle travels at the same speed as surrounding traffic; or intermittent, where traffic is stopped at each end of the bridge for less than three minutes.While there is no fee to use the bridge, the dollar return to the region's tourism industry is priceless.Tourism Wollongong chairman Matt Davidson said the bridge's starring role reflected efforts to promote the Grand Pacific Drive as a touring route."As locals we sometimes forget the spectacular scenery that we see every day is world class," he said.