Shree Narayan Singh is getting ready to showcase Uttarakhand in his second directorial project Batti Gul Meter Chalu. The filmmaker, who gave mainstream cinema a rural treat when he shot his box office blockbuster Toilet: Ek Prem Katha in Madhya Pradesh, is busy exploring Haridwar, Dehradun and Rishikesh with the blessings of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.

The film’s announcement made a big splash because of the brand new pairing of Shahid Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. Then came a quirky poster of birds on an electric cable. Like his debut film TEPK, BTMC will also have a socially relevant theme. If it was open defecation in the former, then it will be electricity theft in the latter. Both these are sensitive and troublesome issues in the districts.

Just as he sought out the support of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while shooting TEPK, Shree Narayan Singh approached Rawat for help in scouting for locations in Uttarakhand for BGMC. And the excited chief minister threw open Uttrakhand’s doors to the director and his writers Siddharth Singh and Garima Wahal and got the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Corporation to facilitate the recce they had undertaken in the state.

Talking to Peeping Moon.com, Shree Narayan Singh said, “I am thrilled to begin work on Batti Gul in Uttarakhand. There is a different vibe here which keeps bringing me back to this beautiful state. Showing a new side to it will be a big challenge.” Another big challenge will be to get the two lead actors together in such a deglam location.

The Shahid-Katrina starrer is reportedly a drama about human values with a strong social message. Shree Narayan Singh strongly believes that like open defecation in TEPK, the subject of electricity being pilfered in BGMC is very relevant to our times as it is the need of the hour and needs to be addressed strongly. With Shree Narayan Singh locking locations, the film is expected to go on floors soon.