In May, mid-day had reported that Salman Khan would soon commence a month-long schedule of Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali (KEKD) at Kokapet where a massive set of a village was erected (Kabhi Mumbai, kabhi Telangana, May 28). Now, we have learnt that the set is a part of the fictional temple town of Dharmasthali, which had been specially created for Chiranjeevi-Ram Charan’s April release, Acharya. Chiranjeevi and Khan have long been friends, with the latter even making a cameo in the south superstar’s next, Godfather. Sources say as a mark of appreciation, Chiranjeevi has allowed Khan to shoot KEKD at the elaborate set, free of cost.

Designed by production designer Suresh Selvarajan before the first lockdown began, the set is said to cost over Rs 20 crore and is surrounded by a river, scenic hills, a temple and a tribal village. More than 1,000 construction workers were reportedly involved in building the property. Considering the set-up remained unaffected over the past two-and-a-half years of the pandemic, Chiranjeevi and his family decided against dismantling it even after the shoot of Acharya was wrapped up. Instead, they decided to rent it out for movies.

A source says, “Salman is close to Chiranjeevi and his family. When the south superstar approached him for the cameo, Salman was adamant about not taking his fee. So, Chiranjeevi returned the favour by throwing open his Dharmasthali-themed set for Salman’s home production. KEKD director Farhad Samji had done a recce earlier and felt the premises suited their demands. The team has made a few modifications to lend it a village ambience.”

Selvarajan, who previously handled the production design for Om Shanti Om (2007) and Agneepath (2012), says that the preliminary work of building set model and making blueprints took four months, followed by another three months of construction. “It took us 20 acres and more than Rs 20 crore to make the set on Chiranjeevi sir’s land in Kokapet. I come from the temple town of Chidambaran, so [it influenced my design] of the fictional town. I am happy that Salman is shooting on the same set now. The temple town has a gurukul, gaushala, streets and junctions. [It is built in such a way that] the team can make whatever alterations they want to.”

Stills of the set of the fictional temple town Dharmasthali and the village