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].”

Actress Malavika Mohanan had a tough time trying to ward off the attention of an incessant admirer recently. The experience was awkward and unpleasant for her. She said, “I have never really experienced something like this before. It’s something we have grown up seeing in movies, albeit in a more romantic way, but this was far from that. This was pure stalking. I met this person first in Chennai, when I had gone for my movie Master (2021). It was the first time I met him, and assuming he’s a fan, I thought he was really sweet. Then we moved to Baku (Azerbaijan). We were uploading stories on Instagram, and I had not shared my hotel location. He reached out to one of my team members, saying he wanted to meet me. At that point, I didn’t think he was the same person I had met in Chennai. He showed up, but I had left the hotel. Then, he came to Chennai after that again.”

She added, “He knew that Tiramisu is my favourite dessert. I had moved houses, so he sent it to my earlier address and that had his name too. It was a bit unnerving because he was geographically everywhere. Of course, there are people who keep meeting you at shoots, but this person was tracking me at different places, and that is not nice. Thoughtful gestures are sweet, but showing up everywhere is weird. It doesn’t feel safe.”

Though the Beyond The Clouds actress hasn’t taken any legal action yet, she has informed her core team, which always travels with her, and has asked them to be vigilant.

Addressing a bigger issue, she reflected, “Stalking has often been romanticized in films for years. This was my first experience with it. I have seen films where if a guy likes a girl, he stalks her and that is problematic. It’s not romantic. Consent hasn’t been given enough importance. It also comes down to feeling unsafe. If a person is doing this, you don’t know what he might do next! It’s worse when you are alone. This is not admiration, it’s just creepy behavior.”