Bollywood’s stint with Lucknow Metro!
Bollywood films have always embraced the concept of depicting a city’s infrastructure and landscape in the most apt way. Among other modernday structures, metro trains — be it in Kolkata or Delhi — have proved to be a favourite among filmmakers. Now, director Sabbir Khan is the latest one to join the bandwagon, as he has shot parts of his next, Nikamma, inside Lucknow Metro.
“Last month, Sabbir’s film — which is slated to release in the first week of June 2020 — became the first Hindi film to be shot inside the Lucknow Metro,” says a source, close to the film’s team. Apparently, the director shot a major portion of an out-and-out romantic song in the Metro with his lead actors, Abhimanyu Dassani and Shirley Setia.
According to Sabbir, the idea was to showcase the beauty of the city. “When we were brainstorming, the idea struck that we should also capture the beautiful Metro, also because no other Hindi film has been shot there yet. So, we promptly took all the permissions from the concerned authorities. They were all very helpful, and we assured that the Metro will be shown nicely in the film,” he says.
The cast and crew shot for an entire day inside the Metro at the Red Line — from Chaudhary’s Charan Singh International Airport to Charbagh in central Lucknow.
“The authorities had blocked the entire line for us for the whole day, so we could shoot without any disturbance. It was a great experience. The Metro has only added to the song’s appeal,” adds Sabbir.
In the past, a number of films such as Love Aaj Kal (2008), Dev D (2009), Paa and Delhi 6 (2009), Jannat 2 (2011) have been shot in Delhi Metro. In October, actors Vikrant Massey and Yami Gautam shot for their upcoming film inside Noida Metro.