War and (set) piece

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Over the past few months, War 2 has been hitting headlines for various reasons - from Jr NTR and Kiara Advani joining Hrithik Roshan, to Ayan Mukerji taking up the directorial baton from Siddharth Anand. Now, it's time for Roshan's character Kabir, one of the pillars of YRF's spy universe along with Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan and Salman Khan's Tiger, to get into action mode. mid-day has learnt that the director has begun pre-production and plans to take the project on floors in October.

Ayan Mukerji

So, what's on the agenda for Roshan's R&AW agent-gone-rogue character? For starters, Europe. "Ayan will conduct the first schedule in the picturesque locations of Europe with the lead pair. For now, a few Mediterranean countries are being considered. Obviously, it all depends on the team procuring visa, and other travel logistics. Hrithik and Kiara will shoot several action set-pieces during the two-week stint," reveals a source. Simultaneously, the production design team will construct elaborate sets in a Mumbai studio for the next leg. "War [2019] was one of Bollywood's hyper-stylised spy thrillers. Producer Aditya Chopra and Ayan want to up the ante with the sequel. They will have huge sets erected, which will serve as backdrops for high-octane action sequences."

It will be a relentless stretch for leading man Roshan, who will focus on War 2 from October to January next year, squeezing in a patchwork shoot for Fighter in between. Jr NTR will join the team in the second schedule. While little is known about his role, one can assume, going by the two actors' social media posts, that his character locks horns with Roshan's Kabir. As soon as the Mumbai stint is wrapped up, the cast and crew will head to Abu Dhabi in November. The source adds, "Jr NTR will begin filming portions from November, going on till January. If things go as per Adi and Ayan's plan, a chunk of the espionage thriller will be completed by early next year."