Sawantwadi palace gets an extreme makeover for Khele Hum Jee Jaan Se

Ashutosh Gowariker's period film Khele Hum Jee Jaan Se, based on the 1930 Chittagong (now in Bangladesh) Uprising. But since shooting there would've been a logistical nightmare, the director found the perfect setting in Sawantwadi, near Goa.

He shot there in an old palace that is the home to a living Queen Satva Shila Deviu00a0-- a direct descendant of Shivaji. The palace was in shambles when set designer Nitin Desai first saw it. The director along with his production crew spent over a month restoring it before shooting began and gave it a complete overhaul.

Producer Sunita Gowariker confirms, "The whole palace was in ruins. There was overgrown grass everywhere, many rooms and monuments were crumbling. Since the building is not under the government's supervision there was hardly anyone taking care of it. However, the building was the perfect location to set the film, as it's a city within a city. It's secluded from the outside world and has the ambience and grandeur of the 1930s."

Nitin, along with his team, started work on the place. "We first cleaned the shrubs and grass that had covered the ground. Residents hadn't seen the ground for years because of the overgrowth. Then we started work on the small structures like the gallows, a courtroom, and the armory attached to the place. Everything was restored."

She continues, "We had to be extra careful since we were dealing with a legacy dating back many years. Ashu is very sensitive about tampering or manhandling anything historic, so special care was taken."

It was not just the interiors but also the surroundings that were worked on. "Since Chittagong has red mud, and we didn't have concrete roads then, we covered the roads leading to the palace in red mud. The residents were amazed to see the kind of work we have done. We hope that even after shoot ends, the place is maintained by the locals and care is taken to make sure it doesn't go back to its ruins."