21 June,2011 08:29 AM IST | | Hiren Kotwani
Daniel Craig to shoot his new 007 movie in the outskirts of the Mumbai in November
There is some great news for Bond fans in India and more so in Mumbai. Nearly 28 years after Octopussy's released in 1983 the only time a James Bond film was shot in India the world's most famous spy is all set to return to the subcontinent. This time however, closer to Mumbai, in the sprawling Big ND Studio located in Karjat.
After months of speculation about the 23rd 007 flick being filmed in the country, it seems everything has just been finalised.
Reportedly, Sam Mendes, the Oscar Award winning director who's helming the new Bond film and production designer Terry Bamber had visited India some time this April for a recce.
It is learnt that the opening sequences of Daniel Craig's third outing as James Bond will be filmed in a three-week spell at the expansive studio founded by veteran art director Nitin Desai, this November.
A reliable source revealed that the Hollywood movie would start off with an explosive chase scene set in South Mumbai.
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Buzz is that Javier Bardem (Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor in No Country For Old Men) is playing the villain in the film that also features Ralph Fiennes.
"In the ND Studio, South Mumbai setting of the main road with shops, bylanes and the main traffic signal will be expanded to include the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Crawford Market, too," revealed our source, reiterating that a chase sequence full with cars, etc. blowing up will serve for a apt opening for the film, similar to Craig's parkour-style action sequence in Casino Royal (2006).
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It wouldn't be wrong to assume that the directors of Bond films prefer landmark locations for their shoots. When director John Glen shot the 13th franchise, Octopussy in India, he chose prime venues like The Jag Mandir in Udaipur and Taj Mahal in Agra for the Roger Moore's outing. The movie also starred Kabir Bedi as one of the baddies and Vijay Amritraj as his aide.
Before the three-week shoot kicks off, the film's team will be preoccupied with a two-month preparation for the schedule.
Our source further asserts, "Most of the setting will have to be completed by then to facilitate the preparatory work and necessary rehearsals to get the precise timing for the action sequences."
A mini-Mumbai created at Big N D Studio in Karjat
However, it remains to be seen as to where Mendes, Craig and the team will be put up during the filming. We know that Hrithik Roshan stayed at a chalet within the ND Studio premises while filming for Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar.
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Director Roland Joffe shot a considerable portion of his next film, Singularity, in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. Apparently, the locals didn't care about a Hollywood film being shot until they learnt that Bipasha Basu was there, too.
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A film about a group of British pensioners traveling to India to live out their dotage couldn't be shot on any sets. No wonder director John Madden started shooting his movie with Dame Judi Dench (also famous as James Bond's boss, M) and Maggie Smith, in Rajasthan. The film, also featuring Tom Wilkinson, Peter O'Toole and Dev Patel, moved on to Bangalore earlier this year.
