Chiranjeevi, Tamannah Bhatia and Keerthy Suresh shoot in Kolkata for Meher Ramesh’s Bhola Shankar

It was 6:30 in the morning. The North Gate of Victoria Memorial in Kolkata presented a busy scene with 30-odd yellow cabs arranged like a crescent to create a makeshift taxi stand. It was the shooting of Telugu director Meher Ramesh’s Bhola Shankar. A little later in the day, the area was flooded with security people as none other than South superstar Chiranjeevi came to shoot the film. Clad in a blue-gray taxi-driver outfit, the actor gave shots one after the other. As the day progresses, Tamannaah Bhatia stepped out of her vanity van in a lawyer’s attire and the shooting went on in full swing.

According to reports, Bhola Shankar is a Telugu film influenced by the Tamil film Vedalam that features Ajith Kumar. Chennai-Express-fame cinematographer Dudley was seen busy with Meher Ramesh discussing scenes. Talking to OTTplay, while shooting, the director said that it was his 10th visit to Kolkata. “It’s a beautiful city. I consider it to be a lucky place for me. I can only tell you about the experience here after I complete my shoot here,” he told us. 

A 350-member strong film team was seen getting busier by the hour. A sewing unit was seen at the venue where 20-odd taxi-driver uniforms were made. A local tea seller was hired by the team to set up a stall near the makeshift taxi stand. The required extra artistes were seen doing makeup underneath a tree. There was a huge kitchen unit that provided meals – dosa, idly, dahi vada, vada, and all. The director was seen having breakfast with his team. 

Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi came after many years in Kolkata. In 1998, he shot Choodalani Vundi in the City Of Joy. He was seen giving shots throughout the morning. Tamannaah’s first shot was in a convertible Audi. She plays the character of a lawyer and Chiranjeevi’s love interest. The film also features Keerthy Suresh, who plays the actor’s sister. She is also in the city. The team was scheduled to visit Floatel and Chhotelaal Ghaat later in the day.