There seems to be no end to the woes of Telugu star Nani’s historical period film, Shyama Singha Roy. It was to go on the floors n April 2020. But after Covid struck civilization, the shooting was postponed until the lockdown was lifted. The original producer Naga Vamsi backed out of the project as it became financially unfeasible after the pandemic. Nani decided to produce the film. The shooting which involved artists from Kolkata was halted earlier this month. Nani and his director were allowed to go on shooting even after all shootings were halted in Andhra because it involved artists from Bengal and the shooting was being done on an expensive set involving dozens of junior artists.
But now some artists have been detected as Covid Positive and the shooting has come to a grinding halt. This means the entire schedule would have to be revived, the expensive set built again, just for a few days’ shooting whenever possible. Now comes the very saddening news that the elaborate set erected for Shyama Singha Roy at the outskirts of Hyderabad that was over 6 acres has been destroyed by the torrential rains precipitated by Cyclone Taukte.
A source from Hyderabad informs me, “It isn’t fully destroyed. But a lot of damage has happened. To rectify it would require a lot of money and manpower. The sad part is, this was the main set for the shoot. For the remaining schedule, which was cut short by Covid cases in the unit, the set would have to be reconstructed.” Apparently, the original set cost approximately Rs 5.5 crores to build. To repair it another 1-2 crores are needed.
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