Sets talk
Source: Express India
Date: March 26, 2007
By: Suruchi Mazumdar
Just close by, a red fort calls for curiosity. The shooting of Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar, with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, is on just a few metres away from us. That has both, Desai and me excited.
"It has been constructed in such a way that it can stand for another 50 years. Agra and Ajmer forts have been recreated in the movie. We spent weeks in Agra photographing them and it took us months to improvise. Soon we'll be creating an old city too," adds the gent behind the picturesque backdrops of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Lagaan and Eklavya.
The 60-feet high fort sprawls across six acres in Desai's scenic studio. "Nearly 55 to 60 per cent of Jodhaa has been shot. The fort will be open for public viewing once the entire construction is complete. It will be useful for architectural studies," says Desai. A book on the making of Jodhaa Akbar is scheduled to be published by India Book House with exclusive photographs of the stars on this lavish edifice.
"Films that require such sets allot Rs 7 to 9 crore of the overall budget to it. Such films give us an opportunity to showcase our grand culture before the world," says the 41-year-old who began his career assistant to the famous Nitish Roy.
~Rashi~
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