There seems to be no end to the problems concerning Newton director Amit Masurkar’s Sherni. Being shot in the forests of Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, shooting had come to a halt earlier this month when actor Vijay Raaz was accused of inappropriate conduct. Apparently the producers were given an ultimatum to either get rid of Vijay or Ms Balan would quit the film. No prizes for guessing which option they chose.
Now barely three weeks later, another controversy has erupted. Reports from Balaghat claim shooting has again come to a standstill after Ms Balan refused to have dinner with a state minister of MP. The Minister in question has denied the allegation.
However when I touched base with a source associated with Sherni, that person confirmed the incident. “I don’t know what exactly happened. But there was talk about a minister’s request for a lunch and when the request was turned down, the crew’s vehicles were refused permission to enter the forest the next day for shooting.”
The source pleaded not to be disclosed , as everyone has been given a strict gag order.
I tried to contact the director Amit Masurkar who was always eager to talk after his first film Newton was released. This time he maintained a stony silence, not denying the story.
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