It was with much fanfare that Om Raut and Team Adipurush launched their magnum opus Adipurush in Mumbai yesterday morning. But a dream launch quickly denigrated into a horrifying spectacle. A massive fire broke out on the lavish sets of Adipurush at around 4 pm on the first day of shoot itself. As far as the Indian way of superstitious thinking goes, it certainly is a bad omen.
But even more ominous is what a core member of the Adipurush unit had to share with noted film journalist Subhash K Jha. The film unit member, who didn’t want to give out his name, told Jha, “It was strange, bizarre almost. Why would a fire break out on the first day itself? It almost seems like an ill omen.” Subhash K Kha first broke the story for Spotboye, an online media publication.
The anonymous unit member went on to add that the Adipurush team and unit had taken all precautions to prevent exactly this kind of an untoward eventuality. In the light of this, and the fact that everything is fresh and spanking new on the first day of a shoot, a fire of the level that broke out on the Adipurush sets is incomprehensible. As per the Metropolitan Fire Board, the fire on the sets of Adipurush was a Level 2 fire. It required eight fire brigades to be rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire. Quite astonishing, if we may add.
Also, apparently, the fire has caused extensive damage worth crores on the sets. Luckily, no one was injured, and both main leads Saif Ali Khan and Prabhas were also not present on the sets at the time of the fire. The film unit member added in no uncertain terms that sabotage cannot be ruled out.
There had been a raging controversy with regards to Saif Ali Khan’s statement on Ravana, who is the antagonist in Adipurush. The actor had said that Adipurush will project Ravana in a more humane light. He had said that Adipurush will “make Ravana more humane, up the entertainment quotient, justify his abduction of Sita and the war with Ram as revenge for what was done to his sister Surpanakha by Lakshman, who cut off her nose.”
Saif Ali Khan’s statement had kicked off protests in the country, with PILs being filed against him in various courts across the country. The film unit member added that in light of the above events, sabotage could not be ruled out as the reason for the fire on the Adipurush sets, exactly when the first day of shoot commenced.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are on. Stay tuned to Binged.com for fresh updates on the fire that ravaged the sets of Adipurush in Mumbai.