Showing posts with label Filmistan Studio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Filmistan Studio. Show all posts
Mumbai’s studios are running out of takes
9:45 AM
Developers eye prized real estate as Bollywood’s legacy shooting floors fight to stay in business
Jane Borges (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 26, 2025)
At Filmalaya Studio in Andheri West, October’s heat hangs heavy in the air, bringing with it a languid stillness. The Diwali holidays, spilling into the week, have also tempered the usual chaos and bustle of shoot days. It’s the lull before production houses resume business early next week. A staff member guides us through the premises. One floor, he informs, is out of bounds as a set is being built there. The other, on the ground level, resembles a vast, unending warehouse. This is where Bollywood’s biggest fantasies have played out, and where actors have unknowingly scripted their own success stories.
“Stars were born here,” says Samrat Mukerji, managing director of the studio, as he drops the names of Sanjeev Kumar, Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, Bindu among others. Grandson of the late pioneering filmmaker-producer Sashadhar Mukherjee, who established the studio in 1958, and cousin to Kajol and Ayan Mukerji, he is the third-generation torchbearer of the family business. Mukerji is also among the few remaining custodians of legacy studios that once defined the city’s golden film era.
Over the last few years, Mumbai has lost some of its iconic studios — Filmistan in Goregaon West (also founded by Sashadhar Mukherjee) and Famous in Mahalaxmi have officially shuttered. They await a fate similar to that of the iconic R K Studios in Chembur, which, in 2019, made way for plush towers. Soaring real estate prices have made these coveted plots of land highly lucrative, and the unpredictable film business has hardly been able to keep up, admits Mukerji.
One challenge, he says, is to not give in to the pressure. But the other is to constantly reinvent to keep up with the fast-evolving demands of the film industry. “Filmalaya has fought the tide bravely,” he says with a half-smile, acknowledging the studio’s arduous journey. “It has taken a lot of hard work. But my cousins, Monjoy, Sujoy and Ayan, and I are determined to keep the studio going. It’s what our grandfather would have wanted us to do.”
The boom and bust of studios
Bombay’s “studio era”, says Dr Debashree Mukherjee, film scholar and author of Bombay Hustle: Making Movies in a Colonial City, took off in the early 1930s, when the city first saw film companies grow into larger institutions with their own sound stages, equipment, and salaried staff.
“Studios that jumped to capitalize on the talkie transition made their mark quickly, and I’d consider Ranjit Movietone, Sagar Movietone, Wadia Movietone, and Bombay Talkies as the most emblematic and most successful studios of that decade. Their stars and their songs were the talk of every town,” adds Mukherjee, who is associate professor and director of undergraduate studies, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia University, New York.
Each studio, she says, also had a set of unique advantages that made them thrive: Ranjit had a network of Gujarati credit and finance, BT had corporate and colonial elite networks of modern business, while Sagar relied on a bank of solid stars. Wadia, on the other hand, was incomparable in the genre of the stunt film.
According to Mukherjee, there was no single moment marking the downfall of these studios — there were, in fact, “many moments of boom and bust”. “World War II was a big game-changer. Not only did a handful of studios manage to leverage their influence to get government-rationed film stock and keep the cameras running, many small companies mushroomed overnight, thanks to the huge influx of cash and black money from wartime profiteering. Never had the city seen so many people thronging the theatres,” she says. But the increase in film competition also led to an increased fight to hire the most profitable stars. “And that’s partly how the studio model started to crumble.”
Cinematographer-turned-photographer Hemant Chaturvedi notes that most salaried staff gradually left studios to work independently as freelancers. “Actors could now sign on for multiple films across different production companies simultaneously,” he says.
Interestingly, the 1950s also saw other models of studio success such as Mehboob, Filmistan, and Kamalistan. The rupture between the studio era and independent or runaway production was hence, not clear-cut, says Mukherjee. “They have always co-existed.”
Today, other concerns have caused the studios to take a hit. With budgets having tightened drastically after Covid-19, many production houses now prefer shooting on location or farther out on the outskirts of Mumbai. Bungalows at Madh Island have also become more affordable, especially for smaller productions like ads and web series. Bigger studios — Yash Raj in Andheri West, Mehboob in Bandra, and Film City in Goregaon — have managed to hold fort, but for a city that has been the mecca of Bollywood, having just a handful of studios does a disservice to the industry, say insiders.
Kunal Kapoor, founder of the production company Adfilm-Valas, whose uncle, the legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor, founded R K Studios in 1948, says that most of the earlier studios were built by “people who actually made films”. “They were passionate, and knew what was expected [from a studio]; they built and modified the spaces as they went all along.”
RK had storage for lights, camera equipment, along with a dedicated section for their costumes, says Kapoor. Filmalaya, Mukerji shares, had its own acting school, which ran for decades and shaped future A-listers. “That breed is no more,” feels Kapoor. Studios that survived struggled with subpar facilities, including non-functional toilets, non-air conditioned sets, and poorly lit makeup rooms, all of which made them less appealing, he adds.
Keeping up with the times
G M Studios in Saki Naka, Andheri East, has been trying to change the narrative. Established in 2009 by Brijesh Maurya, whose family has been in the textile business, the space, spread across two parcels of land and spanning 35,000 sq ft, is one of the few premium studios that offer ready sets for shoots.
In its early years, GM rented out its spaces to television channels. “At the time, we gave out empty sheds,” recalls Maurya. By 2017, he started opening it out for films. But during the pandemic, when the movie business took a big hit, Maurya, having interacted with many filmmakers and understood that there was a major requirement gap, decided to modify the studio to create eight new ready-to-use air-conditioned sets.
When Mirror visited on Friday, Maurya walked us through the sets created across two floors. The spacious Parsi traditional home, which has a vintage early 20th-century vibe with old wooden furniture, large wood-framed French windows, walls decorated with old paintings and black-and-white photographs, and antique glass chandeliers lighting up the space, is the most popular, he tells us.
Maurya has similarly built a New York-style apartment, bachelor pad, a café cum bar, a grand European style duplex, and an office at GM. The latter was where Aryan Khan shot some scenes for the recently released Netflix series, The Ba***ds Of Bollywood. Maurya got a professional film set designer to recreate these spaces, ensuring that the technical aspects of camera and lighting arrangements were properly met. “Depending on the requirements of script, the designers can also change the décor of these spaces, replacing with their own furniture and giving another coat of paint to the walls,” he says.
“These sets are more lucrative. The turnaround is faster, as the production design team doesn’t have to create a set from the ground up, and we can book more shoots per month. “As a business model, this is most viable,” he says. Everyone from Mani Ratnam to Rohit Shetty, who has shot here, has appreciated the attempt to revitalise the studio. The investment has been high, but “if we don’t meet the needs of the industry,” he says, “we risk the fate of other studios.” “Builders are constantly reaching out, but I’m too passionate about films to cave in,” he confesses.
Further north, in Mira Road, K Sera Sera set up a tech-forward facility, Virtual Productions, a few years ago. The space has two large studios, one of which features a state-of-the-art LED VR studio with a green screen. The studio is used for everything from full-length feature films to advertisements.
“We can recreate the Himalayas, Greece, and Dubai — all within the same space — using a software called Unreal Engine,” says Prakash Kutty, cinematographer and head of Virtual Productions. This, he explains, helps save on production costs, because you can access different locations across the globe, without having to physically travel or worry about securing permissions for the shoot. This is also the best option, when the script demands harsh outdoor conditions.
“For example, if you want to shoot in snow, there are many challenges. You have to work within a short window of time because the light fades quickly, and of course, you’re exposed to the elements,” says Kutty, adding that a studio setup like theirs allows filmmakers to replicate the same atmosphere and shoot at one’s own convenience.
Need to start afresh
For Samrat Mukerji of Filmalaya, opportunity can come from the most unexpected places. He says the advent of OTT, microfilms on YouTube and other streaming platforms, and the podcast boom have really opened up newer possibilities for studios. “And we need to tap into it,” says Mukerji, who is also a wildlife photographer and conservationist. Filmalaya is slowly expanding. “We are going to get back into production starting next year,” he says, adding, “I am already working on two scripts.”
There’s also the question of technology and how rapidly it is developing. “Right now, it’s hard to predict the future because of AI,” says Maurya. “A lot will depend on whether people embrace AI-generated movies or still prefer traditional filmmaking,” he says. He feels that government regulation could help reassure studio owners.
Mukerji agrees. “I feel that subsidies and support from the government will also go a long way in protecting this cultural and economic ecosystem. It needs to thrive,” he says, adding that moving the studios out of Mumbai is akin to erasing Bollywood from the city.
Chaturvedi, who was the cinematographer for many large-scale projects, including the Saif Ali Khan-starrer Kurbaan and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool, says that from a technical point of view, the scale and height offered by a set is nonpareil. “The interesting thing about studio shoots is that the real talent of the cinematographer comes out in recreating natural-looking light artificially.”
Production designer Anindya Choudhury aka Bodo shares the sentiment: “I love creating spaces from the ground up, and giving it a certain kind of personality — that’s always been the endeavour. Lately, however, due to dearth of studio spaces, this has become challenging. We often find ourselves adapting existing spaces which sometimes are not shoot-friendly and don’t offer the same creative freedom.”
As our tour of GM Studios concludes, Maurya leads us through a duplex — one floor a vintage European home, the other a sleek modern apartment. “Just a flight of stairs, and the whole vibe changes,” he says. That’s the magic of sets: they bring us as close to reality — just like the movies.
Sikandar teaser to see Salman Khan in a mask, will be released on December 27
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With Salman Khan set to unveil Sikandar’s teaser on his birthday, sources say actor to sport a masked avatar in the first look; filming underway at two venues
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 19, 2024)
Salman Khan has a way of making his birthday special for his fans. Come December 27, the superstar will mark his 59th birthday by unveiling the teaser of Sikandar, easily one of the biggest releases of 2025. With less than 10 days to go, we’ve heard that director A R Murugadoss, producer Sajid Nadiadwala and the film’s team are working across two set-ups to shoot the teaser. While Khan shot his portions at the SRPF Grounds in Goregaon, another set has been erected at Filmistan where a part of the first look has yet to be canned.
An insider close to the production shared, “This is one of the biggest films Salman has worked on in recent years. The team is pulling out all stops to ensure the teaser lives up to the excitement. They have a standing set in Filmistan, where stuntmen will shoot an action set-piece over the next two days. Earlier this week, Salman canned his portions for the teaser. His character is introduced in a hyper-stylized way, as he, wearing a mask, enters the frame and the camera focuses on his eyes. Five other masked men join him in the frame. The sequence is being edited, and the team will fine-tune the teaser this week.”
Sikandar, also starring Rashmika Mandanna, marks Khan’s maiden collaboration with Murugadoss, and is designed as an Eid 2025 offering.
22 Years of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham: Yash Johar made new makeup rooms in Filmistan just for the shooting-Kajol
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BOMBAY TIMES (December 15, 2023)
Karan Johar’s family drama film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham turned 22 on Thursday. To mark the occasion, KJo shared, “My annual reminder of “It’s all about loving your family”... and my audience who have kept the spirit of #K3G alive even 22 years later. Eternally grateful to magnificent & magnanimous cast Amit ji, Jaya ji, shahrukh bhai, kajol, duggu and bebo and all other special people in the cast and crew for just making this journey the most memorable one! Thank you today and always (sic).”
The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan in lead roles.
A HUGE FILM: KAJOL
Apart from Karan, Kajol also reminisced about shooting for the film. In a long note she wrote, “22 years to #k3g ..Another acronym but yes another long lasting memory!!! Yash uncle actually renovated and made new makeup rooms in Filmistan studios permanently just for the shooting of this film because even with the vanity vans it was not going to be enough for this gigantic starrer! @karanjohar collapsed and fainted on set because of dehydration in the first few days... it was really, really hot! And this was @___ aryan___’s debut on screen! It was also I think my first comeback (not sure about this part tho) too many comebacks ago. And the first and only time I stood in front of the pyramids and truly felt them with my soul... so yes this was a truly HUGE film in every which way, in life and cinema (sic).”
With shoots coming to a halt, FWICE to distribute supplies to daily-wage workers
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Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; March 19, 2020)
On Sunday, the representatives from Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), Indian Film and Television Producers Council, Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), Western India Film Producers’ Association, Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association and a few others had a closed door meeting in which they had decided to stop the shoots of TV shows, films, ads and OTT content from March 19 to 31 in the wake of the Coronavirus epidemic.
However, on Tuesday, March 17, the makers were instructed to stop all the work immediately. In the wake of this, the FWICE has decided to distribute ration and materials of basic necessity to daily-wage workers who will be adversely affected by work coming to a sudden halt. The distribution will be held for a full week, starting from March 22, at Filmistan Studios (Goregaon). In order to avoid chaos or large public gatherings, the federation has devised a plan.
Talking about it, Ashoke Pandit, chief advisor to the FWICE and the head of IFTDA, said, “This is an important step to help out our workers who survive on daily wages. Their bread and butter have been impacted hugely because of the temporary shutdown. So, we will be distributing basic things like rice, dals and atta to the workers who need it. To avoid a mass congregation, we will be doing the activity for an entire week, throughout the day, in a staggered manner. So, on a said day, we may not have workers from more than two associations coming in. We also have doctors and an ambulance on stand-by throughout the week at the venue, so if someone seems unwell, we can immediately send them to a medical facility. Among those who came forward right away to support were producers Hemant Ruprell and Ranjeet Thakur, and filmmakers Rohit Shetty, Sajid Nadiadwala, Aanand L Rai, David Dhawan. Apart from them, others from the industry like Javed Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Madhur Bhandarkar and Anupam Kher have also stepped forward to assist the federation in this exercise. We are grateful to them.”
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In a week-long drive starting Sunday, FWICE to dispense 15 kilos of essential food items to those affected by the suspension of the shoot
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 19, 2020)
As the industry joins forces to fight the plight of daily wage workers, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) is lending a helping hand by distributing groceries and other supplies to them. The association has teamed up with Frames Production, one of the leading studios in television, for the week-long drive that will kick off on March 22.
As part of the drive, junior artistes and crew members — who are no longer getting payments owing to their shoots being stalled — can collect their monthly supplies at Filmistan Studios in Goregaon. President Birendra Nath Tiwari elaborates, "We will distribute sacks of 15 kilos each that will contain five kilos of rice, two kilos dal, five kilos atta, some masala and other non-perishable items. For now, the plan is to run this drive for a week."
He cautions employees to not throng the studio on the first day, as the state government has discouraged large gatherings in light of the pandemic. "Everyone should not land up on Sunday fearing that we will run out of supplies. There are enough supplies for about 10,000 daily wage workers. We are also in talks with the state government, seeking help in crowd management."
While the drive is partly sponsored by the FWICE fund, Tiwari reveals that several producers from television have pledged their support. "B P Singh, the creator of CID, has donated a couple of lakhs for this initiative. Shashi Sumeet Productions too have sent us money for the supplies. We have to manoeuvre our way through the grim times."
Light equipment, part of set and building material damaged in the fire on Coolie No 1 sets
8:36 AM
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 18, 2019)
Mirror had earlier reported (September 12) about a fire on the sets of David Dhawan’s Coolie No 1 at Filmistan Studio in Goregaon, which broke out at 1 am last Wednesday. While the film’s crew had escaped unhurt in the mishap, we have now learnt that some of the light equipment, part of the set and building material was damaged in the incident. The fire brigade, which reached the location soon after receiving an alert, took about three hours to put out the fire completely.
According to a source close to the development, the damages are covered under the Rs 125 crore insurance that the makers of the film, which features Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, had procured. “The major loss is that of the third party that supplied the material that was destroyed in the fire. The producers have estimated the loss at about Rs 2 crore to Rs 2.5 crore,” the source informed, adding that a surveyor from the insurance company visited the set recently. “He will file his report soon and only then will the claim process begin.”Mirror reached out to producer Jackky Bhagnani and David for comment, but the duo chose not to respond.
Fire breaks out on the sets of Coolie No 1 in Filmistan
7:59 AM
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 12, 2019)
A fire broke out on the set of David Dhawan’s upcoming directorial, Coolie No 1, which features son Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, at Filmistan Studio in Goregaon around 1 am on Wednesday.A fire brigade official informs Mirror that they received an alert about the fire around 1:15 am and sent out the truck immediately. “The fire was completely put out by 4:15 am,” says the official, adding that there were no casualties or injuries reported at the scene. The trucks returned to the fire station by 12:30 pm later in the day.
Mirror photographer Nilesh Wairkar, who was present at the scene, recounts that there were around 15-20 people working on the set when the fire broke out. The team was in between changing sets when a studio light became too hot and caused a curtain to catch fire. As per estimates, 20-25 per cent of the set was destroyed in the accident.
When contacted, producer Jackky Bhagnani responded via text message, saying, “We would like to thank the firefighters and Mumbai Police for immediate assistance following the situation on the set of our film. The fire was put out soon with no casualties. I want to thank everyone for their concern and wishes.”
Fortunately for the team, the film was insured. “In its totality, the film has been insured for over Rs 120 crore. After ascertaining the damage to the set and the loss incurred in terms of delay in shooting, the producers will file an appropriate claim. After that, the insurance company will look into it,” an industry source informed.
Canteen staffpersons in film studios talk about breaking bread with Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone
3:45 PM
Prakash Shetty of MP Canteen; Vitthal Shetty, seen here with sons Ashok and Sudhir, has been managing the Filmistaan Canteen since 1962
Tales from privately-owned canteens in studios that have stood the test of time and trends
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 21, 2018)
Prakash Shetty was only 12 when he took over from his ailing father to manage MP Canteen, nestled inside Mehboob Studios. A regular patron from his early days of managing the canteen was a geriatric who would resign to a corner of the modest eatery and consume endless cups of chai while scanning through a script. Noticing that the senior was always absorbed in reading, Prakash ensured that he wasn’t bothered and would instruct his waiters to refill his tea at regular intervals. “It was only when I watched Saaransh that I recognised the ‘old man’ from my canteen. He was actually a young Anupam Kher in makeup,” chuckles the 49-year-old manager. “His makeup and body language were so immaculate, I actually thought he was an old man.”
Prakash’s establishment is among a handful of privately-owned canteens that have survived the test of time and trends. While some folded up organically when studios shrunk in size (Filmalaya Studios), others went out of business when studios turned into commercial spaces (Natraj Studios). But running to capacity post-lunch hour, M P Canteen seems barely threatened by extinction.
Sitting at a table that overlooks the wall where a majestic portrait of the studio’s founder Mehboob Khan hangs, he reflects on better times. “Earlier, the entire film crew would eat here. But now, everyone gets a caterer to lay out a spread next to the film set,” sighs the manager, who has also been catering for shoots for the last 20 years. “If people get meals for free, why would they come here and pay for them?” he asks.
Prakash’s loyal patrons who still order in while shooting at the studio, include actors Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan. A big draw for most happens to be the canteen’s famed misal pav which is prepared using the same mixture of freshly-ground spices for 45 years by the canteen’s cook Krishna Shetty. “Abhishek (Bachchan) loves our misal fry served with toasted pav. Once he even got his friends, including Boman Irani, to try it,” he beams. The Khan brothers, Salman, Arbaaz and Sohail, prefer the other much-revered dish, egg bhurji with pav, while Hrithik Roshan loves feasting on his eight-slice bread omelette. “Hrithik loves our bread omelette so much that he used to parcel a couple of servings for home,” remembers Prakash, adding he hasn’t come by in a while.
While it’s difficult picturing Bollywood stars sharing modest meals with the rest of the crew today, some canteens served as social equalisers. Vitthal Shetty, 85, who has been managing the Filmistan Canteen since 1962, remembers Jackie Shroff, Shakti Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor getting off their cars and strolling right into the kitchen to help themselves to whatever was being cooked — rice, dal fry, fish fry or even idli-dosa. Shashi was his most demanding patron at the time and each time the actor was to shoot at the studio, Vitthal had to source a dish that wasn’t on the menu. “He loved his clear chicken soup and we always ensured he got a bowl by the end of the day,” says the veteran, who shifted to Mumbai at the age of 35 from his native Manchakal in the Udupi district of Karnataka.
Today, he is succeeded by his sons, Ashok (57) and Sudhir (47), but having helmed the canteen for 56 years, has kept himself abreast with the turns in the film industry. “Back then, Manoj Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor and many big stars would just roam around the studio between takes and often drop in for a cup of tea. No one had bodyguards, and no one would bother them either. But now, all actors get off their cars and rush into their vanity vans,” says Vitthal, adding that some like Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi would send for their meals to be picked up to have in their makeup room. “If Sridevi was shooting in the studio, we knew we had to make our special Mangalorean fish curry which she loved the most.” Bangda fry was another speciality. It was such a hot-seller that they “would make the dish 365 days in a year”.
Another canteen manager who has been in the business for 42 years is V P Ali, who has manned the canteen at Kamalistan Studios since 1974. Ali struggles to get by today as the sharp drop in the number of shootings at the studio have taken a toll on his business. But in his heydays, he cracked 22 eggs at a go to whip up a generous serving of bhurji-pav for Salman. “Jeetendra loved kanda bhajiya while Suneil Shetty relished our dal fry. But business slowed down in the mid-90s.”
Ali remembers films like Razia Sultan, Desh Premi, Inteqam, Khuda Gawah which were shot at the studio when he was a one-man show — the cook and the cashier. “At the time, the studio was abutting a jungle and there was nothing available nearby. So, I had to build a stock of essentials as running out of ingredients would leave me in the lurch,” he says.
Despite their intrinsic relationship with films, most canteen managers admit having little interest in cinema. The only time Vitthal Shetty walked into a shoot was when Pakeezah resumed shooting after a 12-year-gap. Even Prakash Shetty rarely left the cashier’s counter, but he did drop in to watch the filming of a song featuring his favourite actress Madhuri Dixit. “I don’t remember the film, but the set was a mandir. Madhuri nailed the song in a single take,” he smiles.
Sajid Nadiadwala in talks to buy Filmistan Studio?
7:49 AM
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 27, 2015)
Filmistan Studio, one of Mumbai's oldest and iconic studios, could have a new owner if the deal comes through. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala wants to buy the studio from its present owner, Anil Kumar Tolaram Jalan.
Spread over five acres on Goregaon's SV Road, the studio has seven shooting floors, a temple and garden for outdoor shoots. It was founded in 1943 by producer Sashadhar Mukherjee, his brother-in-law actor Ashok Kumar, his director friend Gyan Mukherji and Rai Bahadur Chunilal as the production controller. They had quit Bombay Talkies following creative differences with actress-filmmaker Devika Rani who had taken over after her husband, Himanshu Rai's death.
Nasir Hussain joined Filmistan in 1948 as a writer and penned blockbusters like Anarkali, Munimji and Paying Guest. He made successful transition to direction with Tumsa Nahin Dekha and the studio continued to churn out hits like Shaheed, Shabnam, Sargam and Nagin through the '40s and '50s.
In 1958, Mukherjee left Filmistan to establish his own studio, Filmalaya, selling it to Tolaram Jalan. Nitin Bose's Dooj Ka Chand in 1964 was one of the last films to come out of the production company but the studio continued to find favour with outside filmmakers. Shah Rukh Khan's RA.One and Salman Khan's Bodyguard were filmed there in recent times.
Talks of the studio being put up for sale have been going on for some years now and in 2011, Jalan refuted media reports. Now, Mirror has learnt that Nadiadwala has approached Jalan with an offer to buy it.
Says a source close to the development, "It's Sajid's favourite studio having been the founding ground of one of his much-loved directors Nasir Hussain whose films he's grown up watching. A song, Offo, for his film, 2 States, was shot there. So there's a sentimental value attached to the property. He's been in talks with the owner since the last month-and-a-half and they are at an advanced stage now."
Sajid responded to our query with a, "No comment."
The studio told us that the owner was not available and the manager would respond only the next afternoon.
Check out Lara Dutta shooting for Fitoor despite ankle fracture
7:36 AM
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 29, 2015)
The shoot of Fitoor, Abhishek Kapoor's upcoming adaptation of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations is underway in Mumbai and Mirror lensman Nilesh Wairkar caught Lara Dutta in action.
The actress plays a high-profile art curator and gallery owner who spots Aditya Roy Kapur's artistic talent. Lara fractured her ankle recently and was in a lot of pain during the shoot. "She is going through physiotherapy sessions and has been strictly advised to take it easy. But she still chose to honour her commitments," said a source close to the development.
The actress reported at Goregaon's Filmistan Studio on Sunday at 10 am and shot till early evening, with a few breaks in between. "They mostly took close-ups and mid-length shots of Lara and Aditya, so her leg wasn't in the frame. After a couple of week's rest, she can let go off her crutches. That's when they will film the remaining portions."
The film which co-stars Katrina Kaif and Rekha, opens in cinemas on February 12, 2016.
Check out bespectacled Ranbir Kapoor shooting for Jagga Jasoos in Mumbai
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Ranbir Kapoor's search for his missing father now takes him to a Mumbai studio
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 10, 2014)
After travelling to Cape Town in South Africa and the picturesque Pai in Thailand, Anurag Basu's detective caper, Jagga Jasoos, has finally landed in Mumbai's Filmistan Studio where the film's shooting is underway.
Mirror 'framed' Ranbir Kapoor as he was stepping into his van for a costume change. A source close to the unit revealed, "Ranbir's look in the film goes through a drastic makeover as he ages from an 18 year old to a man in his mid-thirties."
The film's story revolves around a gifted boy who goes country hopping in the search of his missing father. "The film has a lot of children who play Jagga's informants and help him with clues. After the Mumbai schedule, a major chunk of the film will be complete." the source added.
Jagga Jasoos, which will also mark the debut of Ranbir as a producer, is being planned as a musical with Pritam composing 20-odd songs. In an interview to Mirror (October 6), he had said, "They are small ditties which carry forward a conversation."
The film also boasts of some quirky action-based slapstick comedy. "Both Ranbir and Katrina have trained in the Israeli martial art of Krav Maga for the same," the source concluded.
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