Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has responded to the controversy over the shoot of Ranveer Singh-starrer Pralay at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, saying the team had secured the required permissions. The controversy began after the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) raised objections to the six-hour shoot, claiming it forced the postponement of inter-school cricket matches. The association has questioned why a ground used by young cricketers was made available for a commercial film shoot. Speaking to us Mehta says, “Our shoot at Azad Maidan was fully permitted. We have requisite permission letters from police departments, sports departments including an acknowledgement of the same from MCA. The larger problem is this. Mumbai is the home of Indian cinema. It has also become a most unfriendly city to shoot in. A single location needs clearances from multiple departments, each with its own process, its own delays and its own power to stop a shoot. Even when you have every permission, you are treated as if you are trespassing.” He adds that so many other states welcome film crews. He says, “They understand that a shoot brings jobs, business and visibility. Here, we are met with obstruction. I say this with much sadness as a proud Mumbaikar and Maharashtrian - This is why so many of us now prefer to shoot outside Mumbai.” However he continues saying he wants to shoot in Mumbai. “I have worked in this city for over three decades. I love it and I want to keep telling its stories here. But filmmakers will go where they are allowed to work. If Mumbai wants to remain the centre of this industry, it has to stop treating its own filmmakers as a nuisance.We followed every rule no matter how complicated or difficult it may be. We will continue to do so. We simply seek the cooperation of the authorities and a much needed lack of mistrust in doing so.”
