Aayush Sharma with director Katyayan Shivpuri during the shoot

In April, Aayush Sharma had unveiled the teaser of his next, Ruslaan, an actioner helmed by Katyayan Shivpuri. The actor, who dabbled in a love story with Love Yatri (2018) and an action drama in Antim (2021), believes his third offering is the right mix of action and romance. What makes it novel is its location—Sharma says Ruslaan is the among few mainstream Hindi films to be shot in Azerbaijan.

The director charted out a two-week schedule in the Eurasian country. “While locking the foreign locale, Azerbaijan seemed to be the perfect location that has not been explored [much] in Hindi movies,” says the leading man.

The unit of the film—which also stars leading lady Sushrii Mishraa, Vidya Malvade and Jagapathi Babu—headed to Azerbaijan in November 2022. Sharma, who shot in the capital city of Baku, is all praise for it.

“Baku is a perfect blend of European infrastructure with Asian ethos. It was surprising to see that Indian movies are popular there. We were allowed to shoot in the [landmarks] of Baku, including Town Hall and Highland Park.”

However, the schedule wasn’t a cakewalk. Sharma says filming some action set-pieces, which included a chase sequence, was particularly demanding in the biting cold of November. “The temperature was minus three degrees. We had planned a chase sequence and another hand-to-hand combat scene. There was a constant fear among unit members that it will start snowing while filming these outdoor sequences, [but we pulled it off].”