Almost a month after Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawada set was decided to be demolished, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, producers of the ambitious underworld drama, Dongri to Dubai, are faced with a similar dilemma. The team of the Avinash Tiwary-fronted drama had recreated Dongri in Madh Island before the project rolled in mid-February. With the set lying unused for two months and the lockdown being extended in Mumbai, the makers are considering demolishing it.
For the unversed, the beautifully mounted set of Gangubai Kathiawadi in Film City in Mumbai was to be demolished before the monsoon arrived. As per the buzz, the set costed the makers nearly Rs.6 crores and a source close to the development had informed that it is one of the most expensive and biggest ones created for films. Now, looks like Farhan will be facing the same problem.
"Unfortunately, the lockdown has been extended, and [we are only weeks away] from the monsoon. So, we can't keep the set standing for too long. Once we procure the necessary permission from the authorities, we may pull it down and re-build it post the monsoons. At the moment, this looks like the most practical approach. It's a tough call, but the producers will decide soon," said director Shujaat Saudagar.
The web series is based on the book Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia, and chronicles the rise of Dawood Ibrahim. Rebuilding the set from scratch will be an unforeseen additional expense. "Creating Dongri of the '80s and '90s was imperative because we did not want to compromise on the story or its aesthetics. It's a huge set, so creating it again will be challenging. We will try to salvage it as much as we can," he added.
The lockdown was announced just 20 days into the shoot of the ensemble drama. "We had recreated Bombay of the '80s in Vile Parle, and were shooting there. We are not worried about [retaining] that set because we have already filmed a major portion there. But, the Dongri set was untouched when the lockdown came into effect."
(Source: Mid Day)
