Having not received any positive response from the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) about a proposal to shoot some portions of a film on the institution’s founder Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898), city-based filmmaker Shoaib Choudhary has created the sets in Andheri East and began shooting on Monday.

Choudhary said, despite writing multiple letters to the Vice Chancellor Dr Tariq Mansoor, seeking permission to shoot a web series he is making based on Hayat-e-Javed, the first biography on Sir Syed by his close associate Altaf Hussain Haali, the vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University did not even acknowledge his mails.

“They didn’t reply to me directly. After the news about their cold-shouldering my proposal appeared in the media, they issued some tough guidelines like the filmmakers were required to show them the script and story line. Then they amended the guidelines and said that instead of submitting the script, they wanted us to submit a synopsis which an expert committee would see,” said Choudhary.

The university also wanted Rs 1 lakh per day for a feature film and Rs 50,000 for web series as fees. “I was ready to pay the fees, but they didn’t give a positive response. They acted like royalty and I couldn’t have waited endlessly. I have created lavish sets in Mumbai itself,” said Choudhary.

The VC didn’t respond to queries from Mirror, but a University spokesperson claimed that Choudhary wasasked to submit the synopsis. “We asked for the synopsis but perhaps he didn’t want to share it with us and now we have heard he has started the shoots in Mumbai,” said the spokesperson.

This is not the first time that a filmmaker has wanted to shoot some scenes on the the Aligarh Muslim University campus. Several films, including Rajendra Kumar-Sadhana-starrer romantic musical Mere Mehboob (1963), were shot at the leafy AMU campus. Founded as Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College in 1877, it became AMU in 1920. The heritage section of AMU campus houses some magnificent buildings, including Victoria Gate, the Jama Masjid, Sir Syed House and old hostels built during Sir Syed’s lifetime. Choudhary said he wanted to shoot some portions in the heritage section.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed AMU’s centenary celebrations held online and called AMU a “mini-India”. A premier institution and central university, AMU has produced several eminent students, including freedom fighters like Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar and Dr Zakir Hussain.