After Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), Farhan Akhtar and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra have reunited for Toofaan. The film, told through the lens of protagonist Aziz Ali essayed by Akhtar, shows how a goon from the streets of Dongri finds purpose after falling in love, and goes on to become a star boxer. The perfectionist that Mehra is, it isn’t surprising that he stayed true to the world of his story and shot a chunk of the movie in the densely populated neighbourhoods of Dongri and Nagpada in Mumbai. 

“Shooting in real locations with a star like Farhan was a challenge, but the script demanded it. We got into it, knowing the challenges,” says the director, who conducted the schedule in October 2019.

For Mehra, the biggest hurdle was crowd management. He recounts, “In areas like Dongri, controlling the crowd for the first few days was a task for the team. But gradually, they became more cordial and made it easy for us to shoot. We filmed there for about a month.”

The sports drama, slated for a digital premiere on Amazon Prime Video, also features Paresh Rawal and Mrunal Thakur.