Ash in Kolkata

It was during the latter half of 2003 that Mani Ratnam had gone to Kolkata to shoot for Yuva.

Five years later, the ace director is all set to shoot in Kolkata again. And the film in question this time is Raavana.

Having completed the shooting schedule in Kerala, MP and UP, the director reached Kolkata on Saturday. Shooting for Raavana will begin from February 18 and will continue till the end of this month.

Incidentally, both the Tamil and the Hindi versions of the film are being shot simultaneously. In the Hindi version, Abhishek plays the hero while Vikram plays the villain. In the Tamil version, Vikram plays the hero. Not much is known about the storyline though the buzz is that the film is a contemporary story that doesn’t have any obvious mythological connect to it.

Ash, who has been cast in both the Hindi and Tamil versions, will begin shooting in a jute mill in Agarpara. Vikram will also be shooting along with her from Wednesday. Big B will be joining the unit later this month. Apart from shooting in the jute mill and a bungalow, cinematographer Manikandan will also film certain portions on the streets of Kolkata that have a neutral character.

Recently, Raavana was in the news when Abhishek had shot for a song along with 500 dancers in Jhansi. The song, Kata Kata Mara Mara..., is reportedly the most lavish number that the director has ever shot in his career.