Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; November 2, 2015)

Almost a year of being shrouded in uncertainty, Ajay Devgn’s directorial venture, Shivaay, will go on floors on November 4. The first schedule kicks off in the hill station of Mussoorie and its neighbouring cantonment town, Landour. The unit will then fly to Hyderabad and finally, to Bulgaria where major portions will be filmed.

The star will romance newbie Sayyeshaa, veteran actress Saira Banu’s grandniece in Shivaay, which was supposed to roll last year in Calgary, Canada during winter months. Following a recce, Devgn and his team had gone there for a schedule, but returned without shooting a single frame. Buzz was that the actor-filmmaker was not too happy with the weather conditions — the snowfall wasn’t enough. In February this year, Devgn opted for Bulgaria as an alternative shoot destination, but those plans too did not materialise then since he got busy with his last release, Drishyam.

The actor’s spokesperson says, “Shivaay will roll on November 4 in Mussoorie and there is a long shooting schedule planned in various places.”

With Devgn almost having wrapped up campaigning for Bharatiya Janata Party for the ongoing Bihar assembly elections, he will now be able to devote time to the film’s shoot. The spokesperson adds, “He wanted to finish his other commitments to focus solely on Shivaay.”

Devgn’s last directorial was U Me Aur Hum (2008) featuring wife, Kajol alongside him.