No site off limits In a first, Bhoot The Haunted Ship director discusses how team procured permission to shoot Vicky- starrer at Alang ship breaking yard in Gujarat Mohar Basu mohar. basu@ mid- day. com Given the premise of Bhoot u2014 Part One: The Haunted Ship, a major portion of the Vicky Kaushal- starrer had to be filmed inside a wrecked ship. Writer- director Bhanu Pratap Singh was keen to shoot it at the Alang ship breaking yard in Gujarat as he felt it made for the perfect setting for the horror movie. Needless to say, it was easier said than done u2014 the director reveals that procuring permission to shoot at Asiau2019s biggest ship breaking yard was an arduous process as the property had never been captured on celluloid before. u201c Our executive producer Parth Dholakia and the suits of the production house [ Dharma Productions] had to be stationed [ in Bhavnagar] for over a month as they convinced the authorities at the ship yard. We ran from pillar to post, and finally, got the necessary permission,u201d says the debutant director. He adds that the consent came with a strict caveat. u201c They were clear that we could not use any flammable materials or smoke [ on board] as it could lead to fire.u201d The unit of the Karan Johar- backed venture was in Gujarat for over 60 days as they gave shape to the thriller, which is inspired from the 2011 incident when the merchant vessel MV Wisdom lay stranded on Juhu beach for 20 days. u201c We shot for eight days on the ship,u201d informs Singh, adding that despite their precautions, leading man Kaushal was injured during the shoot. Turns out, the yard officials would frequently visit the location to ensure the team is sticking to safety guidelines. u201c Since there was no electricity supply on ship, we had to put up small lights so that we could walk aboard safely. Before we kicked off the shoot, we were given a class on safety measures. We were also asked to wear helmets at all times. Besides local officials, some officers from yards in Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar too dropped in to ensure that the shoot was smooth sailing,u201d says Singh, before grinning, u201c I think they were fans of Vicky as well.u201d inu2019 time, u2018 Before we kicked off the shoot, we were given a class on safety measuresu2019 Bhanu Pratap Singh, director Vicky Kaushal at the ship breaking yard in Alang
