Ekta Kapoor creates an elaborate haveli set in Mumbai for Dream Girl 2?

A still from Dream Girl 2

Having previously worked on Dream Girl (2019), producer Ekta Kapoor and director Raaj Shaandilyaa had a clear vision for the world of Dream Girl 2. Mathura, with its narrow bylanes and vibrant energy, was the perfect setting for the Ayushmann Khurrana and Ananya Panday-starrer. After an elaborate schedule in Mathura in October 2022, the team was to move to Jaipur to shoot key scenes at the Chomu Palace Hotel, which would be depicted as the grand residence of Paresh Rawal's character Abu Salem. However, it is heard that only days before the unit was to head to Jaipur, Kapoor scrapped the idea of shooting in Rajasthan, instead asking the production design team to build an elaborate set of a haveli in Mumbai.

Reason? For starters, it turns out that Kapoor wanted a more opulent setting. More importantly, in the aftermath of the pandemic, the cast and crew's safety was her top priority. A source from the creative team reveals, "When Ekta saw the pictures of the Chomu Palace, she felt it didn't look grand enough, and voiced her concerns to Raaj and production designer Rajat Poddarr. She also highlighted that travelling with a large team outside Mumbai would be a safety hazard, as COVID-19 cases were still high at the time. While shooting in Mathura was non-negotiable as a chunk of the comedy is set there, Ekta felt the Jaipur leg could be scrapped. She instantly decided to conduct the stint in Mumbai instead."

Ekta Kapoor

After the Mathura schedule was wrapped up mid-October, the production design team began building a lavish set of a palace in Mumbai. The haveli was apparently built in 10 days at Royal Gold Studios, in Aarey Colony, Goregaon. The source adds, "With the set costing over R1 crore, the budget shot up. But to Ekta, ensuring her team's safety and staying true to the vision was far more important. She ensured the set looked exactly as she had imagined it - a majestic structure with Moroccan influences and boasting balconies, corridors and stairways. She wanted it to look glamorous as a pivotal scene, in which Ayushmann's character gets married, plays out against this backdrop."

mid-day reached out to Kapoor and Shaandilyaa, who remained unavailable for comment.