Puri Jagannadh shoots a Telugu film in Varanasi

Despite the scorching heat, the camera rolled at Darbhanga Ghat in Varanasi with director Puri Jagannadh of 'Pokiri' and 'Bbuddah… Hoga Terra Baap' fame, calling the shots. The ace director, who is currently shooting a Telugu film, 'ISmart Shankar' in the city, was seen explaining the scene to actor Ashish Vidyarthi, who reportedly plays a politician with negative shades to his character. The film has actors Ram Pothineni, Nidhhi Agerwal in the main lead along with Ashish Vidyarthi, Nabha Natesh and Sayaji Shinde.
Sayaji Shinde (BCCL/ Arvind Kumar)
On Wednesday, a hawan scene was canned on the ghat that added to the heat, however umbrellas and portable fans came to the rescue of the actors.
Actor turned producer Vishu Reddy, who is the executive producer of the film, says, "It is our initial day in the city. The heat is a challenge but we will get used to it. We are shooting some very important scenes of the film in Varanasi that will be shown in a very different light in the film."
Ram Pothineni cools himself with a fan (BCCL/ Arvind Kumar)
Vishu further adds, "The city is known for its heritage and we intend to portray that in our film also taking help of guerrilla shots to establish this. Since Varanasi is an important spiritual centre, so even the characters in our film have are here for spiritual offering, so this is how the city figures in our film. The city is every filmmakers delight as it comes out really beautiful in every frame."
Nabha Natesh shooting for the film in Varanasi (BCCL/ Arvind Kumar)
Apart from work, the entire crew is relishing Banarasi cuisine. "The Banarasi lassi is a welcome respite for us in this heat and we are also trying the amazing street food of the city," adds Vishu