BOMBAY TIMES (November 11, 2019)

After backing films like Munna Michael (2007), Table No. 21 (2013) R…Rajkumar (2013) and Phobia (2016), producer Viki Rajani has signed writer-director Manish Gupta to direct two suspense films based on true events. Manish, who had recently written the story, screenplay and dialogues of Section 375, said, “Viki is a dynamic and visionary producer who has an interesting slate of high content films lined up. Both my films with Viki will create two franchises; one is a murder mystery franchise, while the other is a legal drama franchise.”

Viki added, “I was impressed with Manish’s work in Section 375. I recalled that he had previously written the story, screenplay and dialogues for the Amitabh-Bachchan-starrer Sarkar (2005). When I saw Rahasya that was based on the Aarushi Talwar murder case, which was directed by Manish, I realised that he is has a good hold over the suspense genre. So, I decided to back his vision. I’ve just launched my banner Faith Films P L, through which I’m tying up with various studios and distribution houses. Manish’s films will hit the floors in a couple of months.”

Director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan admits back and forth on shooting dates is responsible for the leading man’s walkout
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 6, 2018)

Sushant Singh Rajput had kicked off prep to play an astronaut last year in director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan’s Chandamama Door Ke, even travelling to the US to train at NASA in August. Producer Viki Rajani had posted a picture of the actor in a space suit and announced, “The first ever Bollywood film to visit NASA for training.” It has now emerged that the actor now walked out of the film. Sanjay revealed that constant delays in the shooting schedules led to his leading man disassociating himself. “Chandamama Door Ke is a mammoth project, something Bollywood has never witnessed on screen before. Sushant gave his sweat and soul to it but back and forth of dates was frustrating for him since his calendar is choc-o-bloc. He’s under tremendous pressure from producers to release his dates for forthcoming projects, which I completely understand,” the filmmaker told Mirror, quick to clarify that it was an amiable parting of ways and that he wishes Sushant luck for the film that he is self-admittedly looking to direct soon. “Sushant’s passion for space and quantum physics is second to none. He’s also a perfectionist. Whatever he does is with 100 percent of his being, be it acting or direction. I’m certain that he will be as amazing a director as he’s an actor.” However, Sanjay clams up when asked if he is looking for a replacement or the film has been shelved.

Chanda Mama Door Ke was also to feature R Madhavan as an astronaut. Buzz was, Shraddha Kapoor had been roped in as Sushant’s leading lady but the actress had denied it.

Mirror had earlier reported (May 4 2017) that Apollo 13’s special effects supervisor, John Palmer, had designed an 11-layer spacesuit for Sushant, wearing which he had started training at NASA. The actor had said, “I wanted to be an astronaut but since I couldn’t figure out how to pursue it, I decided I’d be an air force pilot instead. But my mother didn’t want me to pursue these professions, so I started studying engineering instead but even then, I was hooked to astrophysics. Now, I’m getting to live my dream with this film.”

DNA (April 14, 2018)

Last year, Sushant Singh Rajput had announced that he will be living his dream of playing an astronaut in Chandamama Door Ke. The actor had even visited NASA and started prep for the ambitious space flick. But soon after, the makers decided to put it on the back burner.

Reveals a source from the team, “Producer Viki Rajani was supposed to bankroll the project, but now, it’s stuck indefinitely. When the makers planned the movie with Sushant, they didn’t understand the landing cost. Once they drew up the budget, they were shocked.”

The source says that the amount is too high for a Sushant-starrer. “It would’ve cost the makers almost Rs 67 crore, without the additional promotional costs.  The recovery for such a film would be extremely difficult. But even then, Viki made efforts to get investors. Nobody wanted to finance it as it seemed like a loss-making project. Everything just wasn’t adding up,” adds the source. For those not in the know, even Sushant’s Kedarnath will reportedly cost its makers over Rs 60 crore. The final amount can only be tabulated, once it’s nearing completion.

Meanwhile, Sushant, who has even designed an entire room replete with a telescope, and taken a keen interest in becoming the astronaut he was supposed to play on screen, is still expecting the film to go on floors soon. “He has shuffled his dates because of this project. It was supposed to begin last year in between the Kedarnath schedule, but it never took off. Someone needs to make him understand that this movie isn’t happening for sure,” says the source.

Another source informs us, “The makers may revisit it, but definitely not with Sushant. If they make it, they plan to cast a big star in it — either one of the senior actors or someone from the younger generation who is a crowd-puller. Sushant is a terrific actor, but he’s yet to prove himself as a potential money-spinner at the box office.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 14, 2017)

Fanne Khan – Bhandup
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao recently wrapped up a 10-day schedule of Atul Manjrekar’s musical-comedy-drama, Fanne Khan, in the north-west suburb of Bhandup. “We started shooting just before the unprecedented showers hit Mumbai in December and despite the threat of cyclone Ockhi, the team braved the inclement weather to trudge to the off-beat location,” producer Prernaa Arora told Mirror. According to the makers, there are two big, well-lit studios in close proximity in the area that allowed the film’s lead trio to shoot individual scenes as well as the joint ones. “Also, it was great to see that none of them seemed to mind the commute,” Prernaa added.


Gold – Ghodbunder Road, Wadala cricket ground
Ashutosh Gowariker filmed his 2016 historical romance, Mohenjo Daro, at Thane’s Ghodbunder Road with Hrithik Roshan and Reema Kagti went back to the same location earlier this month with Akshay Kumar for her sports drama, Gold. On December 1, Akshay shot from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm with over 20 bouncers and a dozen security personnel deployed to monitor the crowds. After a three-day shoot there, the unit shifted to the Wadala cricket ground for a rain sequence for the film which is inspired by India’s first hockey gold in the 1948 London Olympics.


Kaala Karikaalan – Sion’s Pratiksha Nagar, Masjid Bunder, Grant Road
Rajinikanth’s upcoming Tamil-Hindi gangster flick got into action in May at Grant Road, before moving to Sion, Masjid, Marine Drive and Wadala over 40 days. The Thalaiva plays a man from Dharavi who becomes a notorious criminal, and a chawl at Sion’s Pratiksha Nagar served as his character’s house in the early days.


Munna Michael – Mulund, Vasai highway
Three massive sets were built in Mulund for Tiger Shroff and Nawazuddin Siddiqui to film dance sequences. The climax was shot on the Vasai highway which passed off as the Delhi-Agra Expressway. “When shooting on Mumbai streets, the crowds are unmanageable. Also, several permissions are needed. So, the freedom of shooting outside city limits is liberating,” producer Viki Rajani reasons.


Beyond The Clouds – Sewri
Iranian filmmaker Majidi Majidi kicked off his upcoming sibling drama, Beyond the Clouds, at Mukesh Mills in Colaba before moving to Versova where they filmed extensively. The team also spent a week at the Sewri creek capturing over 2000 flamingos at daybreak. “For one crucial action scene, Ishaan (Khatter) fought off two co-stars at Sewri jetty. He had to jump into the muck 64 times before Majidi was satisfied,” informs producer Shareen Mantri.


Noor – Reay Road
Sonakshi Sinha as Noor and Purab Kohli as Ayan filmed a romantic song sequence across the salt pans at BPT Colony, Wadala’s railway yard and the cement yard in Reay Road in January. Debutant director Sunhil Sippy admits that he has long been fascinated by the serenity of Eastern Mumbai and has been documenting the area from Reay Road to Wadala for five years through his photographs. “Here you see acres of industrial land, neglected and crumbling, with barely a person in sight most mornings. It has a strange, contemplative beauty and was the perfect setting for Noor to be reintroduced to a city she thought she knew so well,” says Sunhil.


Baadshaho – Dahisar, Mira Road
Milan Luthria canned a gritty torture and rescue sequence on a police station set in a Bhandup studio with Ajay Devgn for Baadshaho over two days in June, following up with a four-day shoot in Mira Road and Dahisar. The Bhandup studio made for an ideal dilapidated, down-market setting while Sansi village was created in Dahisar and Mira Road for the pre-climax sequences,” the film’s spokesperson informed, pointing out that the studio runs alongside a narrow path on Mira Road which worked perfectly to shoot a looting sequence.

Mere Pyare Prime Minister – Slums in Ghatkopar and Powai
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra filmed his upcoming social, Mere Pyare Prime Minister, at a slum in Ghatkopar near Khandooba on May 3 before moving to another slum behind Powai Lake in mid-June. His film revolves around four slum kids, one of whom wants to build a toilet for his single mother and makes an appeal to the Prime Minister. Mehra chose these two slums because of the complete lack of sanitation facilities. “The slum-dwellers behind Powai lake get water for just 30-45 minutes in a day and have no toilets. During monsoon, they are forced to defecate on the railway tracks. I read a story in Mumbai Mirror about a woman who was run over by a train while defecating and wondered, ‘Is a toilet worth losing your life over?’” Mehra had pointed out.

BOMBAY TIMES (August 2, 2017)

The actor suffers from aviophobia in the sequel to a 2016 psychological thriller
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 12, 2017)

Mirror (January 31) was the first to report that director Pawan Kirpalani is all set to kick off a sequel to his critically acclaimed 2016 psychological thriller, Phobia, featuring Radhika Apte as Mehak who suffers from agoraphobia (fear of open spaces). Now, Mirror has learnt that Nawazuddin Siddiqui will topline Part 2. His character suffers from aviophobia (fear of flying).

“After Nawaz had wrapped up Munna Michael, we met at his residence and jammed on this script. He immediately gave his nod. Phobia will always have a high-calibre actor as performance is paramount. Nawaz suits this character perfectly,” reasons producer Viki Rajani, adding that they had planned on a sequel even before the release of the original.

He goes on to inform that the film will begin with Nawaz boarding a flight and the entire movie is set in a plane. “We will begin work on a set once we lock the dates,” says Viki, pointing out that the shoot will begin either in October or in February after Nawaz finishes Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan’s sci-fi space adventure Chanda Mama Door Ke in which he plays an astronaut. “He will start prepping for our film closer to the shoot,” he added.

Does Nawaz himself have any phobia? Viki quips with a laugh, “He has phobia for bad scripts.”

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 2, 2017)

The first cut of Munna Michael’s trailer is up for release and to make it special, the makers roped in a graffiti artist to add a creative touch to it.

Ravi Kaul, who operates under a pseudonym in the underground graffiti circuit, is primarily an activist and doesn’t usually take up mainstream work. But being a die-hard Michael Jackson fan just like lead actor Tiger Shroff, he couldn’t pass up the offer. He will create his interpretation of the film’s poster on a 10-feet canvas. Says Ravi, “This was my way of bringing together my love for graffiti and MJ through the film,” he says.

Producer Viki Rajani calls it a first-of-a-kind attempt and says Tiger’s solo poster “captures the essence of the dance-drama.” The film’s director, Sabbir Khan, is confident that the artwork will resonate with urban young India. “The idea is to take Tiger’s fans on a journey to discover the story of Munna Michael as we present the poster in form of graffiti,” he adds.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 21, 2017)

Tiger Shroff who has been filming Sabbir Khan’s musical romance, Munna Michael, started shooting the song “Beparwah Joomega” on Wednesday. It is a tribute to his childhood idol Michael Jackson and will be picturised on a set in Mumbai’s Film City over the next 10 days. Tiger will recreate MJ’s iconic moves, including the moonwalk, in a concert sequence.

Tiger told Mirror, “It’s our finale song and since the film is a musical, it’s being shot on a lavish scale and has a huge graph. The audience will see different styles of dancing. The highlight will be the portion in which I pay a tribute to Michael Jackson. I’ve never moved like this in my life and this is definitely the most challenging song I’ve done to date. You’ll see steps you haven’t seen before, it’s all very authentic Michael Jackson, other than a fusion of hip-hop, popping and locking.”

He is performing in front of an exuberant 5000-strong crowd as he tries to recreate the euphoria, energy and ambience at the late pop icon’s concerts. “We have choreographers from Los Angeles who actually toured with MJ to design the song for us. Tiger and I have been having sleepless nights co-ordinating with them because of the time difference. We are shooting the song like a live show without too many cuts so the dancing is clearly showcased. Tiger and his back-up dancers have been getting standing ovations from the crowd,” exults Sabbir. Producer Viki Rajani is equally excited as they’re going beyond everything they’ve done so far in the film. “It’s our biggest set, the biggest set in Film City, and has the feel of a stadium. The crew was doing technical rehearsals on the set for a week before we started shooting.” The film is set to release on July 21, 2016.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 28, 2017)

As Sushant Singh Rajput made an announcement about his new project, Romeo Akbar Walter — his third film slated to roll this year — there is much speculation around his space drama, Chandamama Door Ke. Producer Viki Rajani had told us last November that the film is meant to start rolling in May this year. In January, Sushant began prepping for it and even posted a series of videos on social media to announce it to the world. However, the project is proving to be too time-consuming for its own good.

Confirming that the shoot has been deferred, producer Viki Rajani says, “Chandamama Door Ke is a big venture that requires a lot of pre-production work. We had previously decided to start it by end of June or early July. We have collectively decided that July-end will be a realistic time for us to roll out the film and wrap up the schedule by November. We have a lot of international technicians coming down during the shoot, so we need the planning to be spot on.”

Reportedly, the first schedule will majorly involve Sushant. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays a crucial part, joins the shoot later this year after wrapping up Nandita Das’ biopic on Sadat Hasan Manto. Nawaz had earlier told mid-day, “The prep for Chandamama Door Ke is going to be grilling. We need to train in zero gravity scenes and also underwater diving scenes.”

R Madhavan also features in the film, playing a pilot.

Krishna Shroff will be with brother Tiger as he brings in his 27th birthday on the sets of Sabbir Khan’s directorial today
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 2, 2017)

Tiger Shroff turns 27 today and the actor who doesn’t believe in throwing grand bashes, will ring in his special day with a working birthday on the sets of Munna Michael. He will be shooting in Vasai for the most part of the day but sister Krishna who is an assistant director on the Sabbir Khan directorial, is ensuring that her big brother, who is otherwise a fitness freak, breaks his strict diet and eat a slice of cake.

Speaking to Mirror, Krishna says, “Tiger has always disliked any kind of attention that his birthday brings. He’s been celebrating it on a film set since the last couple of years and he’s happy about it, often saying that he’s blessed to be working on the day.”

But the actor always manages to take some time out to chat with his fans and open their presents. “This time we’ll be together and I’ve made him promise that we’ll both cheat on our diet together and actually eat some cake. We are shooting an action sequence so he’ll burn off the calories anyway,” Krishna laughs.

Producer Viki Rajani informs that they will be filming on a highway which has been specially blocked for the shoot. “It’s going to be a tiring day for Tiger. It’s a regular shift and we’ll only pack up late in the evening. But we will surely cut a cake and hopefully party later,” he says.

Once Munna Michael wraps up, Tiger will kick off two sequels, Karan Johar’s Student of the Year 2 and Sajid Nadiadwala’s Baaghi 2.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 31, 2017)

After his critically acclaimed 2016 psychological thriller, Phobia, with Radhika Apte as Mehak, an artist suffering from severe agoraphobia, director Pawan Kirpalani is all set to kick off a sequel. He is currently in the process of locking the script.

“We always wanted to turn it into a franchise and were happy with the feedback we received for the original, so we decided to go ahead with Part 2. Pawan has written a brilliant story which deals with aviophobia, the fear of flying,” informs producer Viki Rajani, quick to add that while it will continue to have elements of horror, suspense and an interesting twist, this time the team is also upping the production values.

And will Radhika feature in part 2 as well? “Radhika did a tremendous job with Phobia and carried the film on her shoulders. But now we are looking for another established actress and will begin casting in February,” says Viki.

In a first and possibly the most sexist contract ever, Tiger Shroff's latest heroine can't see a man whether in or outside of set
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 6, 2016)

Now this one can reopen the 'sexism in Bollywood' debate once again, and rightly so. In the most bizarre diktat in recent times, Nidhhi Agerwal, who makes her debut with Tiger Shroff in 'Munna Michael', has been asked to sign a no-dating clause until the film wraps up, and that extends beyond the limits of the sets. The dance drama went on floors last weekend and Nidhi joins the unit on Saturday.

Says Nidhhi, "I had to read it [the contract] twice over to believe it, but I don't really have a problem. I understand that the intention is that they want 100 per cent dedication from me. Not like I have a life beyond work in any case. My understanding of it is that the makers have included the clause because dating a co-star has become an easy publicity exercise for production houses. It takes the focus away from the film. Now, I can put my phone away and practice for four hours without worrying about who's calling me. It is a matter of five-six months and I am okay with it."

Meanwhile, producer Viki Rajani tells us the clause is only for Nidhhi while Tiger has been spared. "Tiger is already a star while this is Nidhhi's launch film. She is a bright girl and we don't want her to get distracted. Sabbir (Khan, director) and I have seen real potential in her and this will do her good," he says. Isn't it unfair and rather sexist? Rajani says, "It's not like we made her sign [the contract] at gunpoint. She agreed to it. It's a big launch. She starts shooting on October 8 and will be done by February."

Bollywood's other bizarre clauses

> No late nights/alcohol: 'Mirzya' lead pair Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher were asked not to mingle with each other, party post shoot or consume alcohol on set.

> Nudity clause: All artistes legally bound to expose and use explicit language in Ekta Kapoor's 'XXX' if the script so demands.

> No pregnancy clause: Madhur Bhandarkar, who allegedly incurred losses of R4 crore when a pregnant Aishwarya Rai Bachchan backed out of 'Heroine' (2012), introduced this clause, triggering a debate.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 2, 2016)

Actor will reunite with writer-director Sabbir Khan for a third outing in which he plays a dancer who idolises Michael Jackson and grows up in Teen Batti, his dad Jackie Shroff's home turf
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 5, 2016)

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; June 29, 2016)

BOMBAY TIMES (April 25, 2016)