MUMBAI MIRROR (December 15, 2018)

For his upcoming directorial Zero, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Aanand L Rai built the largest set in Film city to recreate the Ghantaghar (clocktower), an iconic landmark in the North Indian city of Meerut.

As the story of the film is based in the city, the makers recreated the monument to the scale, making it the biggest set ever built in Film City. The original structure is located in Meerut, the center of Uttar Pradesh, and was built in 1914 by the British. Replicating the magnificent piece of architecture which was built by skilled labourers with specialised techniques back in the 19th century was challenging and a grueling task for the director.

The set has been replicated so well that the difference between the real and its replica is almost impossible to tell. From the local stalls to the massive buildings, the makers recreated everything to make it look authentic.

A source close to the film reveals, “During the pre-production, we had travelled to Meerut and clicked pictures of the lanes to recreate them. As we built the set in Mumbai, we clicked a picture again to compare the two and to our surprise, it was difficult even for the production team to spot the difference.”

The trailer gave the audience glimpses of the recreated town, which was sucessfully passed off as Meerut.

Zero showcases Shah Rukh Khan as the vertically-challenged Bauua, Anushka Sharma as Aafia, a scientist living with cerebral palsy, and Katrina Kaif as a Bollywood superstar named Babita Kumari. The trailer of the film has piqued the interest of the audience making Zero one of the most anticipated movies of the year.

Red Chillies Entertainment and Colour Yellow Productions come together to bring Zero. Produced by Gauri Khan, featuring Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif and Shah Rukh Khan, the Aanand L Rai directorial is all set to release on December 21.