In a recent interview, director Siddharth Anand said that the mammoth success of Pathaan is a “once-in-a-lifetime” achievement, and he wants to cherish it all he can. But it looks like Anand cannot stay away from work for long.

Only 10 days after Pathaan’s release, the director has headed to Kashmir to resume the shoot of Fighter, his ambitious aerial action thriller. Leads Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone reached the valley on Monday, in time to begin the film’s second schedule today.

Over the next six days, the director, along with cinematographer Satchith Paulose and action director Sunil Rodrigues, will film some action sequences, and portions of a song. “Siddharth has zeroed in on various locations, including the Dal Lake, and parts of Srinagar and Pahalgam, for the stint. The team is expected to return to Mumbai by next week for a quick break, before flying out to Hyderabad for the third schedule,” says a source.

In December, mid-day had reported that a chunk of the actioner would be shot at the Indian Air Force Academy at Dundigal, near Hyderabad (Start at ground zero, before aiming for sky, Dec 20). Sure enough, the defence service training institute will be the team’s next pit-stop.

The source adds, “At the IAF Academy, Siddharth will shoot the early stages of the protagonist’s journey. It will trace how Hrithik’s character goes from being an ordinary boy to becoming one of the best fighter pilots. Akshay Oberoi and Karan Singh Grover will play his batch-mates. Originally, this was to be a 15-day schedule, but now, it has been reduced to less than a week. Certain portions that were to be initially shot at the IAF Academy will now be canned on a set in Mumbai.”

Anil Kapoor will join the unit during the Mumbai schedule in March. Since certain areas of the IAF Academy are restricted to the public, production designer Rajat Poddarr will build a set reflecting the interiors of the institute.

“In addition, elaborate sets of an airport, and hangars will be built. Another set-up will be created to film a graduation party scene that sees Hrithik and his batch-mates being presented with the Wings. Siddharth intends to wrap up the principal shoot by April, after which the VFX work on the January 2024 release will begin.”