23 February,2015 08:15 AM IST | | Bharati Dubey
Sudhir Mishra moved his 'Aur Devdas' film unit from Delhi as he felt that women in his crew, including actresses Aditi Rao Hydari and Richa Chadha, were not safe
Why did 'Aur Devdas' film unit return from Delhi without completing the shoot?
Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra had taken his upcoming project, 'Aur Devdas', to Delhi for the final shoot schedule. However, security issues concerning women in his team compelled him to pack up and return to Mumbai.
Aditi Rao Hydari stars in 'Aur Devdas'
Mishra says: "Our line producer said he couldn't guarantee the unit's safety. So, we decided to come back here and complete the shoot. I love Delhi, but shooting on its outskirts is really scary. I was worried for the women in my team. You are responsible for the people you work with and cannot take risks."
Sudhir Mishra and Richa Chadha, who has a key role in the film
Major portions of the film, a political take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's most adapted novel, were earlier shot in parts of Uttar Pradesh. "My actresses (Aditi Rao Hydari and Richa Chadha) did not face any problems in Awadh. They moved around freely - there was not a glance or a whistle at any point of time."
Security alert
Reacting to Aur Devdas' unit retreating from Delhi, writer-director Nupur Asthana, who shot the comedy drama TV series Mahi Way in the national capital in 2010, recalled similar experiences. Her three-part post on Twitter read: "#Mahiway shoot at a dhaba off Delhi Jaipur highway in 2010.hordes of random men surrounded us.lots of women in my crew.cops told us they wld not be able to control the men. Made all us women go inside the dhaba n stay there till the crowd left. felt so angry n frustrated n helpless (sic)."
