Before he kicks off Mumbai Saga shoot tomorrow, director Sanjay Gupta on how John Abraham-Emraan Hashmi starrer will be filmed over three-month schedule in SoBo
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 26, 2019)

Two months after announcing Mumbai Saga, Sanjay Gupta is ready to kick off the shoot of the gangster drama featuring John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi, tomorrow. Though his 25-year career has been largely dominated by gangster thrillers, Gupta promises that the upcoming ensemble film — that also stars Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty and Prateik Babbar among others — is his "most ambitious" to date.

"I have been working on this film for more than four years. It's a human drama about cops and gangsters, with an emphasis on the events between the mid-'80s to the '90s. There's an explosive story about how the mills were shut down to make way for malls and high rises, thus changing the landscape of the city," he says, unwilling to reveal if the film focuses on any particular episode.

Given the subject of the Bhushan Kumar production, the director has planned to shoot the film across the city in a start-to-finish schedule. "We will be shooting extensively in South Mumbai as it retains the old charm of the city. We plan to wrap the film by the first week of December. The only scene that won't be shot in Mumbai is the climax; we require an air-strip for that sequence."

The script required two heavyweight actors to be pitted against each other. While his frequent collaborator Abraham was a natural choice, Gupta was keen to rope in Hashmi to explore the dynamics between the two leads. "John was always on board as we had discussed the idea earlier. I felt Emraan was the perfect choice for the other role as the two actors complement each other."