Vidya Balan kickstarted the shooting for her next film, Sherni, helmed by director Amit Masurkar, on 4 March. The shoot commenced in Bhoot Palasi, a forested area, which falls in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. Vidya will essay the role of a forest officer, who joins forces with other officers and forest guards to chalk out a solution to the man-animal conflict that has plagued the forests.
The film’s cast also includes Vijay Raaz, Sharat Saxena and Ila Arun in key roles.
“I loved Newton and when Amit narrated Sherni to me, I knew I wanted to do this film. The uniqueness of the story and its world appealed to me,” Vidya said in a statement to Mumbai Mirror.
The report says that a source close to the production has revealed that the film will also be shot in Balaghat, and other locations throughout Madhya Pradesh, apart from Bhoot Palasi.
Sherni is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Vikram Malhotra and Amit.
Vidya took to Instagram and shared a glimpse of the pooja, which was conducted before the shooting commenced.
“Invoking blessings all across. The #Sherni shoot begins on #WorldWildlifeDay. Surreal to do the mahurat puja in an ancient temple in the middle of a forest. #AmitMasurkar @ivikramix @BhushanKumar #KrishanKumar @aasthatiku @abundantiaent @tseriesfilms @tseries.official @shikhaarif.sharma,” she captioned the picture.
Vidya had taken to Instagram on 13 February to announce the project, her role in it and those involved. The poster features the skin of a tiger in the background with the bold font dispensing essential details.
Vidya was last seen as a scientist in Jagan Shakti’s Mission Mangal (2019). The film featured Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha and Kriti Kulhari as scientists at ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
Amit Masurkar’s Newton (2017) starred Rajkummar Rao as an election officer and Pankaj Tripathi as a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. The film was celebrated for being India’s entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars.
(Inputs: Mumbai Mirror)
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