Prayagraj’s Civil Lines became the battleground of Bollywood and fury on Wednesday, as the shooting of Pati Patni Aur Woh 2, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan, spiraled into shock and pandemonium.
What should have been a glamorous film schedule erupted into full-blown disorder when a wave of discontented locals turned aggressive, targeting production head Zoheb Solapurwala in a physical assault captured on camera. The alleged victim, who’s central to the production, reportedly challenged someone filming the shoot, igniting tempers that quickly morphed into a public spectacle.
In a dramatic twist, Homegrown heroes Ayushmann and Sara themselves were seen embroiled in a tense, and apparently heated, exchange with the agitated crowd. Disturbing visuals surfaced, raising questions about the safety and on-location protocol for A-list film shoots.
The response from law enforcement was swift. An FIR was lodged at the Civil Lines police station against one Meraj Ali, accused of filming the altercation, along with other unidentified individuals. The charges span harassment, assault, intimidation, and copyright violations under the IT Act, underscoring the seriousness of the incident.
According to line producer Saurabh Tiwari, the chaos stemmed from local tension over traffic congestion. Authorities had cordoned off a lane near All Saints Cathedral to accommodate the shoot, triggering gridlock and spiraling frustration among locals. Watching crowds turned restless, and before long, aggression erupted.
Security measures were already in place for the shoot, with a police unit tasked to manage traffic. Yet, despite precautions, chaos is said to have exploded within a minute’s spark, an unsettling reminder of how quickly things can go sideways on public film sets.
The film’s Prayagraj schedule runs from August 15 to September 11, directed by Mudassar Aziz, a seasoned filmmaker known for navigating high-octane shoots. But the spectacle of Wednesday’s fallout has shifted attention, raising alarm about the rigors of filming in crowded urban locales and the vulnerabilities of on-ground crews.
