Aditya Dhar is grateful that his magnum opus The Immortal Ashwatthama has remained unaffected due to the pandemic as several filmmakers had to take a back seat and stall the shoots. The three-part modern-day superhero film, which has its roots in the Mahabharata, sees Vicky Kaushal as the mythological character who was given the boon of immortality.

For his portrayal of Ashwatthama — the son of Dronacharya, the actor will have to train in horse-riding and various martial art forms, including krav maga and jujutsu.

Vicky will have to weigh more than 100 kilos,” says the director. Agreeing that the locations play a key role in such a subject, he is rel “We will begin shooting in Europe, primarily the UK, and then head to Iceland. The final schedule will be in Mumbai. The plan may change depending on the COVID-19 crisis in these countries.”

The lockdown has been productive for the director who ensured that every detail was attended to during the pre-production. “We have finalised our HoDs [head of departments] and begun our discussion with the VFX team. Since nobody has attempted such a subject before, we don’t have a reference point. So, the VFX and design teams have to use their imagination and create [the universe] from scratch.” Though Dhar has zeroed in on the leading lady, he refuses to divulge details until the deal is sealed.