Continued from page u0010 u000f ZONAL Deputy Commissioner of Police Sangramsinh Nishandar confirmed that it was a film shoot. An officer attached to the Chitrapat Shakha of Mumbai police told mid- day, u201c We have granted them permission only for acting and not to create any noise or for any gunshots. They have permission for film shooting from . pm to . am for two days.u201d u2018 Dummy bullets firedu2019 Some residents of nearby Dhobi Talao told mid- day that they were at Metro Cinema where a scene was being recreated for the web series. Still, it seemed like the real thing. u201c During the shoot, one of the actors fired a dummy bullet. It sounded like real gunshots. A few actors in police uniform were seen collecting something from the road after the gunshot,u201d said a youth.
The sight of the web series shoot and the sound of the dummy gunshots unsettled many people. A local shopkeeper, Nand Dev u0004 ha said, u201c I woke up to get milk. The milk vendor felt something amiss at Metro junction and asked me u2018 Bhai kuch hua hai kya? Bahut sari police dekhi subah meu2019 ( Did something happen? I saw a lot of police). A few others told me that they heard gunshots.
Later, I was told that there was a film shoot in the night.u201d Another youth said, u201c I was at the Metro u0004 unction till . am as I had to meet a friend there.
He said he heard the gunshots between . . . . and . am.u201d The scene being shot at Metro junction depicted Qasab and other terrorists driving away from Cama Hospital after killing three senior Mumbai police officers.
u2018 There are no complaintsu2019 The officer attached to Chitrapat Shakha of Mumbai police said the local police station has the right to register a case if anyone approaches with a complaint. An officer attached to Azad Maidan police station said they had not received any complaint regarding the gunshots. u201c We did not receive any call from our control room also, else our team would have gone to inspect the situation at Metro Cinema junction. But a handful of real policemen present on the film set did not say anything about the gunshots,u201d the officer added.
u2018 Have all permissionsu2019 While the police claimed they had granted permission only for acting and not for the use of noise or fake firearms, the producer of the web series, Nikkhil Advani, insisted they have all permissions.
u201c We are a reputable production house ( Emmay Entertainment) and will not embark on a massive shoot that entails locking down a major traffic junction, to shoot a complicated action sequence without permission,u201d Advani said.
u201c It has taken a year to get all necessary permissions to be able to film with precision and efficiency. We have received tremendous support from local police, municipal authorities and the film commission. I canu2019t change the street lights of Marine Drive ( as their colour back then was different), fire guns and shoot with a crew of . . . people over four days, he added.
Inputs by Sonil Dedhia u2018 It sounded like real gunshotsu2019 Residents say sight of web series shoot and sound of the dummy gunshots unsettled many The site of the shoot at Metro junction ( above) was where the terrorists had shot at the media gathered during the 26/ 11 Mumbai terror attacks u2018 We did not receive any call from our control room also, else our team would have gone to inspect the situation at Metro Cinema junction. But a handful of real policemen present on the film set did not say anything about the gunshotsu2019 An officer, Chitrapat Shakha, Mumbai Police
