Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 10, 2017)

Jacqueline Fernandez and Sushant Singh Rajput, who arrived in Tel Aviv to film a song sequence for Tarun Mansukhani’s upcoming thriller-drama, Drive, will be club-hopping through Rothschild Boulevard, where bars and café are open all night, making it the most sought after party destination in Israel. The unit filmed for two days in the city, shooting a song composed by Tanishk Bagchi.

“Israel is a party place and has great weather. We are going there to capture its vibe and hope to get it right. In the film, Sushant and Jacqueline, along with their friends, are heading there for a holiday,” Tarun had told Mirror (September 28) earlier. According to a source from the sets, Sushant, who is accompanied by his trainer, Yeshu Talari, has been diligently working out on the beach every morning at around 5am.

"The work days are long, usually 15-18 hours, and surprisingly, both Indian and Israeli fans have been lining up outside the set watching Sushant and Jackie shoot and interacting with them after pack-up,” adds the source. The cast and crew also travelled to the historic middle-eastern city of Jaffa for sight-seeing on Monday and later met the Israel Tourism Minister, Yariv Levin. Today, before the party begins, the duo will be meeting Sanam, the popular Mumbai-based rock band spearheaded by Sanam Puri, with Samar Puri, Venky S, Venkat Subramaniyam and Keshav Dhanraj.

Post the gig, they will all hit terrace breweries, and swing by gallery bars. They also plan to stop at the beautifully restored yuppie neighbourhood of Neve Tzedek with its chic wine bars and hipster-fuelled, renaissance-themes clubs. Drive, also featuring Boman Irani and Pankaj Tripathi, was announced last year by producer Karan Johar. Tarun, who debuted with the John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, and Priyanka Chopra-starrer romcom, Dostana, returns as a director after “seven years and 345 days” with a film about cars, racing, mind games and living in the fast lanes.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 28, 2017)

Mirror has learnt that Sushant Singh Rajput and Jacqueline Fernandez are set to fly to Israel in the first week of October to shoot for a dance track for Tarun Mansukhani’s upcoming action-comedy Drive, which is produced by Karan Johar. The duo will be filming in the nation’s financial and technology hub, Tel Aviv, that also boasts of a lively nightlife.

“The song has been composed by Tanishk Bagchi, but we are yet to zero down on the final title. Israel is a party place and has great weather. We are going there to capture its vibe and hope to get it right. In the film, Sushant and Jacqueline, along with their friends, are heading there for a holiday,” informs Tarun. He adds that they will be shooting at a beach and several party hotspots. “I am filming everywhere they allow me to,” he laughs.

Sushant and Jacqueline had recently set the stage on fire with their joint performance at Filmfare Awards on “Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo” and the latest version of “Humma Humma” from Shaad Ali’s OK Jaanu. Tarun is all praise for his lead pair. “I have seen them perform and they are both fabulous dancers. I am hoping to explore a lot of their dancing talent, whether it is in this song or the next one,” Tarun adds.

While speaking to Mirror earlier, Jackie had said that Drive is all about cars, racing, mind games and a different kind of action, while her 31-year-old co-star had described it as, “It’s a what-will-happen kind of a film.” “It’s very stylish, and the first film in the franchise. It’ll keep the audience engaged.”

Feroz Khan, who has earlier assisted Farah Khan, will be choreographing the song. “I have finished shooting the acting portions and only the songs remain. The prep has begun for the five-day schedule in Israel and Sushant and Jacqueline’s final looks are being worked upon,” Tarun signs off.