Will Kashmir come to Mumbai for Alia and Vicky?

Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal’s upcoming movie, ‘Raazi‘ will be a Meghna Gulzar direction. Based on Harinder Sikka‘s bestselling novel, Calling Sehmat, the film revolves around a Kashmiri spy (Alia Bhatt) who gets married to a Pakistani Army Officer (Vicky Kaushal).

Keeping the plot in mind, Kashmir is an integral part of the narrative. However, even before the project could go on floors, it has faced its first hurdle — the makers have not landed the necessary permissions to shoot in the Valley, given the state of unrest out there.

A unit member says, “The original plan was to start the shoot in the Valley. However, Kashmir has been knocked off in the first schedule. Rumours are rife that Ansarul Khilafah Jammu Kashmir (the Indian facet of the IS) is threatening the local police with violence and, in such a situation, it’s in everyone’s best interest to not shoot the film in the state.”

Considering the importance of Kashmir in the film, the makers have decided to bring Kashmir to Mumbai by recreating the environment in one of the studios in Mumbai itself. A great amount of attention is being paid to the details so that it could look authentic.

In the light of this, a large set will be erected in Film City where most of the indoor sequences will be shot. “A handful of local Kashmiri workers are building the set. Since the decor of the homes has to be authentic, local Kashmiri artworks and curios will be brought down by the producers. The set will take a few weeks to complete. From workshops to creating the perfect environment, the team of Raazi has been putting in all the efforts and thus it will be interesting for the audience to watch the outcome of the movie.”

Meanwhile, the makers will kick-start the film’s shoot in Punjab. Alia and Kaushal will begin shooting by the end of this month. After their schedules in Punjab and Mumbai, the team will head to Delhi for their next schedule.