Garima Sharma (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 12, 2014)

The rapid infrastructural development that Delhi has seen in the past decade has put National award-winning director Shivaji Patil in a tight spot. Patil’s untitled film captures the savage mood of Delhi in the 24 hours post Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984. He is now erecting a massive set in Mumbai’s Filmcity, to replicate Delhi of the 1980s. The work will begin in a day or two, and the cast, which includes Soha Ali Khan and Vir Das who play a Sikh couple, will start shooting by the end of this month.

 Patil said, “Delhi has changed completely. There are flyovers and the Metro all over and it doesn’t resemble the city of that time at all. Only Chandni Chowk retains the old look, but that doesn’t help. So, we have decided to replicate everything. The set will have Chandni Chowk and areas of west Delhi like Janakpuri, which were severely affected because of the violence. The set will also have gurudwaras, which were targeted and set afire.”

 Interestingly, while the film features many actors from the National School of Drama essaying important parts, there will be no one playing Indira Gandhi. “This is the story of a family and the trauma they face; it’s not a film with any political message. Indiraji, therefore, will only be shown symbolically,” said the director.