The colourful and vibrant milieu of Dilli Haat was transformed into a fortress.
The colourful and vibrant milieu of Dilli Haat was transformed into a fortress. Actor Aamir Khan was seen wearing a helmet and frantically chasing an actor dressed as Lord Shiva through the streets, shooting for his upcoming film Peekay. Director Rajkumar Hirani was spotted in the precincts calling the shots on Friday. Later in the day, speaking at the cultural celebrations organised by Delhi Tourism on the occasion of World Tourism Day, actor Aamir Khan put forth, “Delhi is a beautiful city to shoot. It has a great cultural and historic significance. I love coming here and shooting from time to time.” The team of Peekay, including Anushka and Sushant Singh Rajput, are going to be in the capital for a 25-day schedule. A slew of upcoming films including the likes of Akshay-Kumar starrer Boss, Manish Paul’s Mickey Virus and Arjun Kapoor’s Two States have been shot in the capital. What is it about the city that is making it a B-town favourite “Delhi has myriad hues to it. There is a great juxtaposition of old-world charm and contemporary, youthful hubs. One can shoot in the bylanes of Chandni Chowk and Daryaganj, focus on Lutyen’s Delhi to show well-planned roads and greenery and move to the satellite towns of Gurgaon or Noida for shooting modern buildings and urban youth,” says director Sanjay Singh Chauhan. There are ‘many Delhis’ within the capital. One which is pacing ahead to match the globalised world and one which takes pride in its cultural predominance and is stuck in transition phase. Mickey Virus, that marks the debut of television host and funnyman Manish Paul, is one of the most eagerly awaited flicks being shot in the city. Talking about the shooting of the movie in Delhi, its director Saurabh Varma explains, “I am a true-blue Delhiite and say with pride that the kind of language and humour the city’s lingo generates is unique and unparalleled. Every character in Mickey Virus is inspired from real life characters I have encountered at various points in time here. Having a strong migrant population, originally they may be from UP, Haryana, Punjab or Bihar, but their attitude and mannerisms makes the best potpourri.” The film has been shot at Nehru Place, Chandni Chowk, Paharganj, Dwarka, Rajghat and Connaught Place. Actor Divyendu Sharma, who was last seen in Chashme Baddoor, has recently wrapped the shooting of his upcoming film, Zaalim Dilli. “Delhi has fond memories associated with my college and theatre days. Coming back here to shoot reminded me of my humble beginnings. Just like various characters in a film, the city also has a very potent feel and look. No wonder then that many contemporary films are taking it up as their backdrop,” he put forth. Director Rajkumar Hirani sums up the feeling of Bollywood fraternity quite well and says, “I have been coming to the capital since childhood. Yet while shooting for Peekay, I seem to have rediscovered the city and seen facets of it that I had earlier ignored completely.”
