Karan Johar, who is making My Name Is Khan, was recently in the US for shooting location hunting and also to apply for permission to shoot at the White House, the residence of US president George Bush, and other presidents before him!
If KJo pulls it off, it will be the first time an Indian movie will be shot on, what's easily the only location in the world, with the tightest security!
The makers want to bring the two cultures and cinematic sensibilities together for the better. However, in My Name Is Khan, the White House is not merely a decoration but an integral part of the script. The film is based on the problems faced by a Muslim man (played by Shah Rukh Khan) living in America."
Karan has applied for permission to shoot in and around the area. Even big Hollywood makers don't really get this level of permission easily. And if Johar pulls this off for this shoot, it will be quite an achievement.
The director, who just returned from the US a couple of days back, admits, "I'm currently working on pre- production. The story of my film takes the lead actors from San Francisco to LA and eventually to Washington D.C. I am trying to figure out permissions including locations in and around Washington. I still have a lot of time, till I achieve these permissions, as I only start the shoot of the movie from February next year."
The spokesperson for the National Security Agency in the US says, "It's next to impossible to shoot anything in the White House. Especially if you are not a US citizen. One cannot shoot on the grounds. But various people have shot their movies outside the grounds (outside the gates of the White House) to which we have no control over."
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