Shahid Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna's action comedy with Anees Bazmee to go on floors in August

Shahid Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna

In May, mid-day had reported that Shahid Kapoor and Anees Bazmee were set to collaborate on an action comedy (Main aaoonga UP, Bihar lootne, May 2). There has been brisk progress on the project since. While Rashmika Mandanna has been roped in as the leading lady, the makers have done a recce for the film, which is backed by Varisu producer Dil Raju. Now, it is learnt that Kapoor and Mandanna will kick off the shoot in the first week of August at a Mumbai studio.

Sources reveal that the movie, which sees Kapoor in a double role, has a rural flavour. A trade source reveals, "Anees and his technical team, including DoP Manu Anand and production designer Rajat Poddarr, scouted for locations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan before finalising the desert state. In the first schedule that rolls in Mumbai, the leads will shoot indoor scenes, with the set depicting the interiors of a Rajasthani haveli."

The three-week Mumbai stint will be followed by a 15-day break, after which the team will head to Rajasthan for an extensive schedule. "Anees wants to do a start-to-finish schedule in the state from mid-September and complete a chunk of the film by October. Then comes the movie's most crucial schedule in Mumbai, which will involve a lot of action. If things go as planned, the project will be wrapped up by the year-end." Bazmee remained unavailable for comment.