Ishaan Khatter and Mrunal Thakur on war footing

Ishaan Khatter and Mrunal Thakur

While Pippa was originally scheduled to roll in March, director Raja Krishna Menon had to hold it off as the second wave of the pandemic hit India. Leads Ishaan Khatter, Mrunal Thakur, Priyanshu Painyuli as well as producers Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur agreed that shooting amid the restrictions wouldn't be ideal for the war drama that was envisioned on a grand scale. Over four months on, as shoots have now resumed in full swing, the team has been informed that the period drama - based on Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta's book, The Burning Chaffees - will tentatively go on floors in September.

"The film, set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, will require multiple levels of prep. The actors' reading sessions will begin by mid-August. They not only have to fully familiarise themselves with the Battle of Garibpur that forms the crux of the story, but also have to physically prep from the first week of August to do justice to the combat and war sequences on camera," says a source. The first schedule will kick off in Mumbai.

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