Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar recently shared a behind-the-scenes look from his upcoming project, featuring the leading man, Ahaan Panday.

Now, a source tells us, “Shoot begins on March 30 in Mumbai’s YRF Studios for a 27-day schedule. Then, the team will travel to UK for a 60-day shoot in May. All the actors are currently in action training, and will be till end of March.”

When contacted about his lead, Ali, 44, is all praise for Ahaan. “He doesn’t perform emotions, he feels them. And as a director, that’s a rare quality to find. The camera has a way of catching the truth and with him, the truth is always there in his eyes,” he says.

Only one film old in the industry, with his debut Saiyaara being a surprise hit, Ahaan, 28, will take on the action-romance genre in the upcoming film.

Ali adds that Ahaan “brings a modern energy to classic romantic leads”: ‘It’s always amazing to work with raw, new talent and Ahaan, to me, is at the top of the league from his generation.”

In February, mid-day had reported that pre-production of Mardaani 3 had begun (On cop duty for the third time, Feb 27). Now, it looks like Rani Mukerji has slipped into the khaki uniform again, reprising her role of the tough-as-nails cop Shivani Shivaji Roy. The team, led by director Abhiraj Minawala, began shooting for Mardaani 3 on March 26 at the Golden Tobacco factory in Vile Parle.

We’ve learnt that the unit spent a week at the venue, filming several sequences with the leading lady. This week, the shoot shifted to Yash Raj Studios in Andheri, where some of the cop drama’s fight sequences are set to be filmed.

A source tells us, “Abhiraj has lined up some pivotal action scenes for this leg. The portions being shot now are critical to the narrative. While Mardaani [2014] and its 2019 sequel tackled subjects of human trafficking and sexual assault respectively, the topic of the third edition hits closer home.” 

The makers are tight-lipped about the actor playing the antagonist in the early 2026 release.

Fight, rest, repeat. That is Alia Bhatt’s mantra as she shoots for Alpha, the newest offering that marks YRF spy universe’s first female-led espionage thriller. Shiv Rawail’s directorial venture went on floors in the first week of July with the leading lady canning an elaborate action sequence at YRF Studios in Andheri. Three weeks down, the unit has moved to Film City in Goregaon, where Bhatt—who plays a super spy—is apparently shooting an action set-piece with Bobby Deol, who portrays the antagonist.

In April, mid-day had reported that Rawail and producer Aditya Chopra were roping in multiple action choreographers so that each fight sequence looked distinct (Wanna kick ass, Alia? Apr 30). The current set-piece has been choreographed by Casey O’ Neill.

A source reveals, “In her 12-year career, Alia has attempted action only once before, in Heart Of Stone [2023]. With this particular sequence in Alpha, she is taking it several notches higher. It is a no-holds-barred set-piece full of blood, gore and brutality, as Alia and Bobby go at each other with weapons as well as hand-to-hand combat. She is dressed in black, with a gun strapped to her thigh, while Bobby sports cropped hair and salt-and-pepper beard. The makers wanted Casey to design the stunts as he is an expert in advanced stunt technology; he has choreographed some crucial action sequences for Jawan [2023], Top Gun: Maverick [2022] and Jack Reacher [2012].”

The scene is being canned in a heavily guarded set, designed by art directors Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty, at the location as Chopra doesn’t want any pictures or details to get leaked.

“This shoot will take over four days. Since it is one of the film’s most important scenes, Adi has ensured that the location is impregnable. They have about 100 guards manning it and covering all vantage points,” adds the source. 

Sharvari, who plays Bhatt’s sister as well as an undercover agent, will join the ongoing two-month schedule after this sequence is wrapped up. With Alpha, Anil Kapoor too joins the on-screen spy-verse—which includes Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan—as Bhatt and Sharvari’s mentor. 

Minimalism is for the faint-hearted. For Karan Johar, the bigger, the better. And when it’s his 50th birthday, it’s time to pull out all stops. Last night, all roads led to the YRF Studios in Andheri as Johar, one of the most influential filmmakers today, hosted what is being regarded as Bollywood’s biggest bash of 2022. The guest list was impressive, the food delectable, and the stars’ glamorous appearances are sure to keep fashion critics busy till the weekend. But what has got everyone talking is the elaborate set that was built for the night. The grand set has been designed by his Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani art director Amrita Mahal Nakai. She was also the mind behind the white-and-gold themed decor at Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt’s wedding.

Minimalism is for the faint-hearted. For Karan Johar, the bigger, the better. And when it’s his 50th birthday, it’s time to pull out all stops. Last night, all roads led to the YRF Studios in Andheri as Johar, one of the most influential filmmakers today, hosted what is being regarded as Bollywood’s biggest bash of 2022.

The guest list was impressive, the food delectable, and the stars’ glamorous appearances are sure to keep fashion critics busy till the weekend. But what has got everyone talking is the elaborate set that was built for the night. The grand set has been designed by his Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani art director Amrita Mahal Nakai. She was also the mind behind the white-and-gold themed decor at Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt’s wedding.

Designing Johar’s birthday venue is a matter of pride and joy for Nakai. When mid-day contacted her, she said, “The colour theme of the set is red and black. It is a fusion of different styles — the contemporary and classic Tudor and Victorian styles. We started work from May 14, and gave the finishing touches on Tuesday.”

When asked if the set costs close to a crore, Nakai said, “I am not at liberty to discuss the cost. It’s a special occasion, so we have gone all out. I have designed many sets, but it’s more challenging when the work is personal.”

Johar’s team remained unavailable for comment.

(Clockwise) Kareena Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh are on the guest list

The biggest challenge of making a period drama is recreating the era it is set in. The makers of Prithviraj faced the same hurdle as they set out to offer a retelling of the 12th century warrior king. With the Akshay Kumar-starrer depicting Prithviraj’s reign as he first ruled out of Ajmer and subsequently Delhi, and his love story with Princess Sanyogita of Kannauj, the production design team had to build lavish sets replicating the three cities.

Art designers Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray researched the architectural style of the period before erecting elaborate sets in Madh Island, Dahisar and YRF Studios in Andheri.

It is heard that producer Aditya Chopra assigned a budget of over Rs 25 crore for set design. Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi is satisfied with the result.

“Aditya Chopra took on the Herculean task to recreate Delhi, Ajmer and Kannauj. Real marble was used to build the cities, and 900 workers toiled hard for about eight months to build these gigantic sets,” he says. Kumar adds, “It was a task to make this film a visual delight for the audiences. We wanted people to see how magnificent the cities looked during [his reign].”