Actor kicks off his first Rohit Shetty film with Katrina Kaif in Mumbai; team heads to Bangkok, Goa, Hyderabad next
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 1, 2019)

When Rohit Shetty’s Singham with Ajay Devgn as the fearless cop Bajirao Singham opened in 2011, not many would have imagined that the director would convert it into a cop-universe with the biggest names from the Hindi film industry. Eight years later, he introduced Ranveer Singh with Simmba as Sangram Bhalerao, the second police officer in his franchise, confirming a crossover with Singham towards the end of the film. He also announced that Akshay Kumar will be the next entrant in his world, as ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) chief, Veer Sooryavanshi. It has since been revealed that the upcoming action-thriller titled Sooryavanshi will mark the reunion of Akshay with Katrina Kaif 12 years after their last release, the Farah Khan directorial Tees Maar Khan. Now, Mirror has learnt that the much-anticipated film goes on the floors on May 6 in Mumbai.

“Both Akshay and Katrina will be a part of the first schedule which will continue for 10-12 days in the city. The set of a house has been designed at Mehboob studio wherein the couple will film some romantic scenes,” informed a source close to the development.

The source added that they will also be shooting at real locations in Mumbai before flying to Bangkok for the second schedule. Rohit was on a recce to the Thai capital recently to finalise these locations. “He will be canning a larger-than-life introductory scene with Akshay at some landmark locations in Bangkok. Katrina is unlikely to be a part of this shoot,” revealed the source.

Rohit will then head to his favourite state, Goa, where his cop-universe is primarily set. Like always, the major action will take place in and around Goa. “He will shoot briefly there, before heading to Hyderabad where Sooryavanshi will wrap up at Ramoji Filmcity. The large ensemble cast will be present in both Goa and Hyderabad,” stated the source, adding that a major chunk of the shooting is expected to wrap up by July-end in the course of this 75-80-day journey. A couple of songs and some patchwork will remain which will be shot in November in Goa.

After completing the cop drama, Akshay will jump straight into the promotions of his Independence Day release, Misson Mangal. The Jagan Shakti directorial which revolves around a misson to the red planet also features Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Radhika Apte and Taapsee Pannu. At present, the Khiladi Kumar is busy shooting for Laxmibomb, a horror-comedy co-starring Kiara Advani, which sees him possessed by a transgender ghost, at Madh Island. “It’s a brief schedule, and actual work on the film begins only in September,” the source concluded. Sooryavanshi is slated to release during the Eid 2020 weekend.