Priyanka puts Barfee in slo-mo
With just 25 per cent of his film complete, Anurag Basu struggles to meet his deadline, recreates Darjeeling in Film City and waits for his leading lady to turn up
A bright sunny December afternoon in Mumbai, when most of us would have preferred to stay indoors, Anurag Basu's team was busy recreating the cooler climes of Darjeeling in the heart of Film City, Goregaon. For their film Barfee, set against the backdrop of the hill station in the 70's the team had erected a log and stone house with Buddhist prayer flags and a replica of the German Bakery in Darjeeling. And despite their efforts, the team struggled to reach the finish line with only two out of the three lead actors.
While Ranbir Kapoor and Ileana D Cruz did their part, Priyanka Chopra, who plays an autistic girl Jhilmil in the film, was conspicuous by her absence. Mumbai Mirror has learnt that because of this erratic date issues of the actor, the film that was supposed to go on floors in March this year and finally managed to kickstart a few months later, is just about 25 per cent complete.
Industry insiders reveal that the shoot of the film has been primarily affected by Priyanka's constant date problems. And though, the film unit is just about 'managing' with the rest of the cast, director Basu chooses to be diplomatic. "Priyanka is not to be blamed for the delay.
She had given us her dates a few months back. It was the extension of Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar that affected Barfee's schedule. Priyanka and Ranbir had to shoot their scenes together, but due to Rockstar promotions, which Ranbir had to be a part of, things got delayed. Priyanka then went to the US to record her album," explained Basu.
Basu further added, "When Priyanka returned to India, she had prior commitments to keep. She has given us whatever dates she possibly could. But her dates are in separate blocks. Meanwhile, we are completing the parts which require only Ranbir and Ileana. We had to reschedule the entire shoot."
Just like Basu explained, the sets in Film City have been created for multiple usage. So while the wooden house is where Priyanka's character Jhilmil studies, the bakery is where the other characters meet. The real Darjeeling will however, not have to wait too long. "We are expecting to go to the hill station with Priyanka and Ranbir in February," revealed Basu.
And for that, we believe Basu will have to wait. Priyanka, his lead actress, having returned from the US, is currently shooting for Kunal Kohli's film in Mumbai.
Naagin 7
43