Prakash Jha’s Aarakshan Set Demolished in Bhopal

Prakash Jha's film Aarakshan faced a setback when local authorities in Bhopal demolished the sets of this Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer.

In a release issued, Prakash gives his side of the story. "The demolition was ordered by the District Magistrate's office. Patchwork scenes with Deepika and Saif were scheduled to be shot on the set later this month. The set that has been demolished included an entire bungalow that belongs to the character played by Bachchan 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. The filmmaker claimed that he was unaware that the set was constructed on disputed property, "I feel 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. The demolition has definitely upset our plans."