`Aarakshan` set in Bhopal demolished by local authorities

Bhopal: Local authorities have demolished a major set in Bhopal where patchwork scenes for the film `Aarakshan` between actors Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan were scheduled to be shot later this month.

The demolition was ordered by the District Magistrate`s office. The set that has been demolished included an entire bungalow that belongs to the character played by Amitabh Bachhan in the film and parts of the tabela, where informal schools were set up in the film. This particular set was spread over an acre and a half of land. Prakash Jha Productions had taken the land on lease from Minal Residency Group, not realising that it was disputed property. From end-January till end of March shooting had taken place on the constructed set. "We had no idea that the land where we had constructed the set was disputed. But I do feel that even though the demolition had to go through, the authorities knew we had constructed only temporary structures for the purpose of shooting. Why demolish it? It would have been dismantled within a month. Everyone in Bhopal knew it was a set," Prakash Jha said. "The demolition has definitely upset our plans. The reason we had left the set standing was because there were a couple of patchwork scenes with Saif and Deepika that remained to be shot. Now we have to work out alternative arrangements," he said. ADM Bhopal Rajnish Shrivastava said, "It was an illegal structure, so it was demolished. The High Court had directed us to demolish the structure. We did what we were supposed to, because the construction on that area was not legal." PTI