On 22nd May, it was just another day in the scorching heat and extravagant set of Sanam Re with actors Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam and Urvashi Rautela. The crew of the film were already on the sets prepping for the day long shoot when suddenly there was chaos all around them and people shouting regarding a firing in the premises.
Divya herself was almost nearing the shoot when she too heard the same. All thanks to her presence of mind, she instantly called up her cast and informed them about the firing and ordered an evacuation of her crew from the sets, thereby cancelling the day's shoot. "Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my cast and crew. The shooting of my film can wait and I will always put forth their safety first. I thank my stars that Pulkit, Yami, Urvashi and I were not present on the sets yet and that nothing has happened to my team.", says Divya.
Interestingly, they also avoided the tragedy that struck Nepal earlier this year with God's grace.
It is said that catastrophe doesn't knock the door while coming. It is sheer luck and gut feeling which can save us from the fury of nature. The same thing happened with the cast and crew of Bhushan Kumar's upcoming film Sanam Re. Director Divya Khosla Kumar who has shot the film in various locales of Mumbai, Shimla, Canada, and London had also shortlisted Nepal for her shooting schedule.
Divya says, "For the film, we have created a fictitious town called Tanakpur. It is a small town on a hilly area. I was having an idea of a place where you have a small cinema hall, photography shop, tailor shop, post office etc. So we created a set in Mumbai's film-city and also planned to shoot a sequence in one of Nepal's heritage village called Bandipur."
She further says,"My assistants were adamant that we should shoot in Nepal but somehow I was not ok with the idea. I had other things going in my mind regarding disturbances during the shoots for instance there would be traffic, tourists visiting the sets etc. I wanted to shoot under relaxed situations where everything would be under my control."
"We even planned, took out the budget and finalised everything. But suddenly I changed my mind and put my foot down, just few days ahead of Nepal's schedule. We got to know that the entire village of Bandipur where we were supposed to shoot wiped out during earthquake. I think its gods blessings over us and Sanam Re which helped us in avoiding the natural calamity, "adds Divya.
Directed by Divya Khosla Kumar, Sanam Re stars Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam, Rishi Kapoor, and Urvashi Rautela. The film is slated to release in February 2016.
