Lamhaa is Rahul Dholakia’s action thriller based on the life of an Indian Army undercover officer who is sent to track down the man behind extremist attacks in Kashmir. Although the film has some hair-raising scenes in the valley, it was actually quite difficult to shoot there due to the curfew. But after actors like Karisma Kapoor and Deepika Padukone refused to play the role, Bipasha Basu took the lead in the film and shot under curfew.
The filmmaker was in conversation with Mashable India when he recalled the horrors of making the film and the challenges that came with shooting in Kashmir. Rahul Dholakia said he had to trick Bipasha Basu into shooting the film during the curfew after Karisma Kapoor and Deepika Padukone refused to shoot in the troubled Kashmir valley. She recalled that on the first day of the shoot she was held hostage along with 10,000 people for about 4-4.5 hours, soon after which, the Alone actress left the shoot.
But eventually, she returned to finish what she had started. He said, “I shot with Bipasha during the curfew and she got very angry with me” because I did not inform her about the curfew. At that time, Basu was happy and amazed by the beautiful Kashmir. But later when he learned that there was a curfew, he called him and said, “How dare you shoot at me during the curfew?” During the same conversation, he told that since he wanted to shoot in the valley, no one was coming with him. “Karishma had just had a baby and wanted to be a part of the film but she refused to shoot in Kashmir. Deepika Padukone also gave me the same answer,” Rahul revealed.
Recalling the incident when he was held hostage, the Parzania producer said that he was locked in a room with 400 other people and was told, ‘You are against Kashmir.’ But thankfully, he was released hours later as someone recognized him as the man who had made the National Film Award winning film. Rahul Dholakia is also credited with films like ‘Kehta Hai Dil Baar Baar’, ‘Mumbai Cutting’, Shah Rukh Khan and Mahira Khan’s ‘Raees’.
Also read: Do you know that Shahrukh Khan’s wife Gauri’s mother had suggested casting Pakistani actress Mahira opposite the superstar in Raees? Director Rahul Dholakia revealed the secret
