Hollywood director Wolfe replicates 15-story-high Prague Castle for Love & Passion film sets near Mumbai

Hollywood director Wolfe replicates 15-story-high Prague Castle for Love & Passion film sets near Mumbai

Hollywood director David S Wolfe will begin shooting his big-budget commercial crossover film Love & Passion starring Bollywood actress Anjana this month-end. And about 100 to 120 kilometers from Mumbai between Pune and Lonavla, a huge set modeled on the famous 8th Century Prague Castle is taking shape. The film set will be about 15 floors in height or about 210 ft at the top most point and will replicate the Prague Castle and the Prague Cathedral which is part of the Prague Castle complex.

 

Anjana has acted in films like Zilla Gaziabad, Right Ya Wrong, Chashme Baddoor and others and is a renowned theater artiste and Indian classical dancer. She has trained for over 10 years in Bharat Natayam and Kathak and has given about 250 Indian classical performances till date.

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the Prague Castle as the largest ancient castle in the world. It occupies an area of almost 70,000 m2, at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide. The Prague Castle is the official residence and office of the President of the Czech Republic. Located in the Hradčany district of Prague and dating back to the ninth century, the castle has been a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it.

 

Speaking  on phone from his office at Sussex in England, Wolfe said, “The art and logistics team has identified a plot of land about 120 kilometers away from Mumbai for the construction of the set. We have applied to the Panchayat and local authorities for the permissions and construction of the set is expected to commence within the next week. I am coming to Mumbai this weekend to oversee the construction work. We had some visa problems but they are all sorted out for now. We will be bringing in about 300 tonnes of pre-fabricated material, equipment and structures. The rest of the material will be sourced and manufactured in Mumbai. We are replicating the Prague Castle  – which is acknowledged as the World’s largest and tallest ancient castle for the main set for the film. We may have to reduce the scale to some extent as we could not get such a huge plot of land, but the architecture and design will remain exactly the same,” lamented Wolfe .

 

The Prague castle buildings represent virtually every architectural style of the last millennium. It includes Gothic St Vitus Cathedral, Romanesque Basilica of St. George, a monastery and several palaces, gardens and defense towers. The castle houses several museums, including the National Gallery collection of Bohemian baroque and mannerism art, exhibition dedicated to Czech history, Toy Museum and the picture gallery of Prague Castle which will all be replicated in David S Wolfe's film set near Mumbai.  The Summer Shakespeare Festival regularly takes place in the courtyard of Burgrave Palace. The neighborhood around Prague Castle is called Hradčany.

Love & Passion will feature several romantic scenes and will be aesthetically shot in locales like Scotland, Thailand and in southern parts of India including Goa and Pondicherry, Wolfe revealed. The 15-story-high set will be the main in door shoot location and the rest would be outdoor locations. The budget of the film is expected to be in the range of Rs 250 crore, but Wolfe refused to reveal any details regarding the budget.