Vidya Balan's 'Sherni' filming halted? MP minister says 'cancelled lunch, not shoot'

The shooting of Vidya Balan’s upcoming film Sherni which is being shot in Madhya Pradesh came to a halt. According to various media reports, this happened when the actress refused to attend Madhya Pradesh foreign minister Vijay Shah's invitation for dinner. On the other hand, Vijay Shah on November 30 refuted reports that he had allegedly stopped the shooting of the film in Balaghat.

The shooting of the film Sherni halted?

While speaking to news agency ANI, he cleared the air of suspicion and said: 

"I was there (Balaghat) on request from those who took permission for the shoot and requested me for lunch or dinner. I said not possible now, I will meet them when I go to Maharashtra. Lunch or dinner was canceled, the shoot was not.”

Reportedly, the District Forest Officer (DFO) of Balaghat allowed only two vehicles in the forest, where the team was expected to shoot. The incident reportedly took place only a day after Vidya allegedly refused the dinner invite.

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Vehicles of the production team of Balan's upcoming movie were also allegedly stopped from entering a forest for shooting. As for the film's shoot, the movie is being shot in various locations in MP including a forest. Directed by Amit Masurkar, Sherni revolves around the man-animal conflict and features Vidya Balan playing the role of a forest officer. A first for Vidya, the actress has been quite excited about the film. To kick off the shooting schedule in October, the cast and crew also came together for a pooja as photos from the location went viral on social media. 

While first actor Vijay Raaz's sexual harassment case surfaced, now Madhya Pradesh Minister Vijay Shah seems to be gaining attention from all quarters.  Meanwhile, on the work front, Vidya Balan's Shakuntala Devi received high praise from the audience. The film that premiered on Amazon Prime video during the global pandemic, also features Sanya Malhotra, Jisshu Sengupta, Spandan Chaturvedi, Amit Sadh, and Prakash Belawadi in pivotal roles. She is currently filming for her upcoming Sherni which is directed by Amit Masurkar.  

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(With inputs from ANI)