38000 sq feet area, crew of 1200, an eerie torture room: Inside India's largest film set built for Prabhas' The RajaSaab
Aziznagar is a nondescript village situated some 20 km from the centre of Hyderabad. It is far removed from the hustle bustle of Telangana's capital and certainly the last place you'd expect to find two of India's biggest film stars. But over the last six months, Aziznagar played host to Prabhas and Sanjay Dutt as they shot their upcoming horror fantasy film, The RajaSaab. A studio, built by producers People Media Factory, in the village, housed a rather unbelievable set - the largest one in India, which is central to the biggest horror film in Indian cinema history.
The teaser of The RajaSaab was released in Hyderabad on Monday. The horror fantasy sees Prabhas return to his roots, as a wisecracking, dancing, romancing goofball with a heart, light years away from the brooding mass action star makers had been hell-bent on turning him into after Baahubali. Much of the film takes place in the palace-sized haveli of the titular raja saab (played by Sanjay Dutt). To make matters simpler to film, producer TG Vishwa Prasad and director Maruthi decided to create the entire haveli in one place, over a 160-foot by 220-foot lot in the studio.
The massive 38000 square feet complex houses a double-storey structure built from stone, fibre, and wood. It houses everything from kitchens to libraries, dining halls, to sinister-looking staircases, and even an occult torture room (more on that later, though).
Art director Rajeevan Nambiar is the man behind the construction of the massive structure. "This is the world's largest indoor set," he tells us proudly, while standing in the middle of the complex. "Nowhere in the world will you find a single set of this size and scale. It took 1000-1200 people working all day around 4-6 months to get this up," adds Nambiar. The makers say that this is India's largest film set. They may even go for a ratification from the Limca Book of Records later, once filming wraps up.
The base of the structure is solid stone, with marble flooring and platforms. On top of it are fibre pillars and a wooden support structure. Four massive chandeliers, stretching over 100 feet deep, are hung in the entry pathway. Another chandelier hangs quite sinisterly over a large dining table, fit to seat 16.
There are wooden stairs to the upper level, which has more rooms. All rooms are fully stocked on both levels. The kitchen has real flour and spices and some questionable but still edible papad. The bedroom and study have real books, ranging from Dan Brown to Agatha Christie. They are supplemented by hundreds of fake books, too. And then there are paintings of Sanjay Dutt dotted along the house.
Talking about the need for this level of construction, producer TG Vishwa Prasad tells us, "It's about what value it adds to the project. If I can make a film in ₹2 crore, I would not need this. But this film required a scale like this. And this set helps us keep the action here." Without giving away spoilers, TG Vishwa Prasad adds that there is an upside-down segment in the film (glimpsed in the teaser) that was easy to shoot just because the entire set was a single unit. "You'll see more of it in the trailer," he adds.
In between the dozen or so large serpentine AC pipes (the indoor temperature goes to 40 degrees Celsius without them) is one room where the vents hardly ever enter. The film's director, Maruthi, jokingly calls it the prayer room. One glance inside reveals it is something more sinister. There are remnants of black magic rituals and occult practices, flames and torches lit, and blood on the walls. More tellingly, there are (thankfully fake) human remains strung up as 'offerings'. The film's team says the room will play an important part in the film.
Director Maruthi informs us that 90% of the film's shoot is complete, with some sequences still left. The film is aiming for a December 5 release, having already been delayed by 8 months. Maruthi says the extensive VFX work and post-production have caused that. What will happen to the set once the film is over? Producer TG Vishwa Prasad has no plans, so far. But in all likelihood, it will be torn down to give space for something new. Does that bother its creator, Rajeevan Nambiar, though? "I have been far too long to get attached now," he says with a laugh. But for now, the RajaSaab's haveli stands as a testament to the growth of Telugu cinema and its ability to dwarf the biggest productions in the country, if not the world.
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