Agra created in London by Victoria & Abdul makers due to the fear of right-wing groups?
8:01 AM
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; March 27, 2017)
Fearing opposition from
certain radical political outfits, Agra will be recreated in London for
the last schedule of the upcoming British-American drama, Victoria & Abdul. The film, based on Shrabani Basu's eponymous book, delves into
the little-known
relationship between Queen Victoria (played by Judi Dench) and her young
Indian clerk Abdul, portrayed by Ali Fazal.
The decision to recreate Agra in London was taken because of security reasons, after a right wing group disrupted the shoot of the film in the city of the Taj Mahal, last November. The attack was sparked off by the installation of Queen Victoria's statue, which was seen as a reminder of British colonialism in India. The incident resulted in much delay and financial losses for the makers, who decided to play it safe during the last schedule.
The Times of India had reported then, “The shoot was stalled in Agra by Bajrang Dal members. The protesters had taken offence over the setting up of a statue of Queen Victoria at Mehtab Bagh. A scene was being shot where Fazal's character, Abdul, kisses the feet of a statue of Queen Victoria, that was put up against the Taj's backdrop. The protesters claimed that the film's team had taken permission to shoot, but not to install the statue.“
Cut to the present. Agra will now be recreated near the Lake District, where the sets are already being built. The shoot is slated to begin by mid-April. The scenes, we hear, pertain to Abdul's back story - his house and life back in India. So, Agra's streets, houses and bazaars will berecreated in London. A source close to the film confirmed, “After facing opposition in Agra last year, the team s ended the India schedule with just 10 days of shoot remaining. The team came back to d India last month to do a recce and realised that instead of obtaining a plethora of per missions - they also feared further trouble - it'd be best to move the shoot to London. It was a collective decision.“
To maintain authenticity, a production design team was sent to India and historians were appointed to collect images and references for recreating 1800s' Agra in London.
The decision to recreate Agra in London was taken because of security reasons, after a right wing group disrupted the shoot of the film in the city of the Taj Mahal, last November. The attack was sparked off by the installation of Queen Victoria's statue, which was seen as a reminder of British colonialism in India. The incident resulted in much delay and financial losses for the makers, who decided to play it safe during the last schedule.
The Times of India had reported then, “The shoot was stalled in Agra by Bajrang Dal members. The protesters had taken offence over the setting up of a statue of Queen Victoria at Mehtab Bagh. A scene was being shot where Fazal's character, Abdul, kisses the feet of a statue of Queen Victoria, that was put up against the Taj's backdrop. The protesters claimed that the film's team had taken permission to shoot, but not to install the statue.“
Cut to the present. Agra will now be recreated near the Lake District, where the sets are already being built. The shoot is slated to begin by mid-April. The scenes, we hear, pertain to Abdul's back story - his house and life back in India. So, Agra's streets, houses and bazaars will berecreated in London. A source close to the film confirmed, “After facing opposition in Agra last year, the team s ended the India schedule with just 10 days of shoot remaining. The team came back to d India last month to do a recce and realised that instead of obtaining a plethora of per missions - they also feared further trouble - it'd be best to move the shoot to London. It was a collective decision.“
To maintain authenticity, a production design team was sent to India and historians were appointed to collect images and references for recreating 1800s' Agra in London.
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