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Mumbai: Ranveer Singh has begun shooting for his upcoming film Pralay in Mumbai, marking the start of production on the much-awaited action thriller. Kalyani Priyadarshan has also joined the cast, with the project being positioned as a large-scale theatrical survival story.

The film is directed by Jai Mehta and has been in technical pre-production for several months. The makers are opting to shoot at live locations across Mumbai and surrounding areas, aiming to give the film a grounded and expansive visual setting.

Pralay begins filming in Mumbai

The shoot for Pralay officially commenced in Mumbai on August 16. The production is expected to make extensive use of real locations in the city and its surrounding areas rather than relying entirely on studio sets.

The decision is expected to add greater scale and realism to the film, which is being developed as an end-of-the-world survival thriller. Reports have described the project as having post-apocalyptic and zombie-thriller elements, although the makers have not revealed the complete storyline.

Ranveer Singh leads the cast

Ranveer Singh headlines Pralay and is expected to take on an intense, physically demanding role.

The film comes after the actor’s recent success with the Dhurandhar franchise. According to NDTV, Singh was last seen in Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge, both of which emerged as major box-office successes.

His next project therefore arrives with considerable expectations, particularly given the actor’s recent run of action-heavy roles.

Kalyani Priyadarshan joins the film

Malayalam actor Kalyani Priyadarshan has joined Ranveer Singh in Pralay.

Kalyani, who has worked predominantly in Malayalam cinema while also appearing in Tamil and Telugu films, is expected to play the female lead. Her casting was first reported earlier this year, with the project marking an important step towards her entry into Hindi cinema.

She gained wider attention following her performance in the Malayalam superhero film Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, which helped establish her as one of the prominent younger actors from the South Indian film industry.

Jai Mehta directs Pralay

Pralay is being directed by Jai Mehta, who is making his feature-film debut as director with the project.

Mehta has previously been associated with acclaimed projects including Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story and Lootere. His experience with large-scale storytelling is now being brought to a theatrical action project with a post-apocalyptic setting.

The film’s reported premise centres on survival in a world transformed by a catastrophic event, with the story expected to focus on human resilience and the struggle to stay alive.

A post-apocalyptic world

While the detailed plot has been kept under wraps, reports have consistently described Pralay as a post-apocalyptic survival thriller.

Some reports have specifically referred to it as a zombie film, with the story reportedly set against a devastated version of Mumbai.

Earlier reports also suggested that the filmmakers planned to digitally alter portions of Mumbai to create an abandoned, dystopian appearance.

The approach could give the film a distinct visual identity while allowing the city itself to become an important part of the narrative.

Mumbai becomes the backdrop

The production’s decision to film extensively in Mumbai is particularly interesting given the film’s apocalyptic setting.

Rather than transporting the entire production overseas, the team is reportedly using Mumbai and surrounding areas to create the world of Pralay. Live-location filming could help the filmmakers capture familiar landmarks and neighbourhoods in an unfamiliar, devastated state.

The production had reportedly considered shooting outside India, but filming has now commenced in Mumbai.

Large-scale theatrical action thriller

The makers are planning Pralay as a large-scale theatrical spectacle, with action and survival forming key components of the story.

The project is backed by Birla Studios, True Story Films and Ranveer Singh’s Maa Kasam Films. Singh is also involved as a producer.

Reports have suggested a substantial production scale, although the makers have not officially confirmed some of the widely reported budget figures.

Ranveer’s next big-screen challenge

Pralay gives Ranveer another opportunity to explore a physically demanding action-oriented character.

After the success of Dhurandhar and its sequel, expectations around his next theatrical release are naturally high. The difference this time is the genre: instead of a conventional spy or covert-operations thriller, Pralay is expected to take him into a dystopian survival setting.

The combination of action, survival and post-apocalyptic world-building could make it one of the more ambitious Hindi films currently in production.

Kalyani’s Bollywood debut

For Kalyani Priyadarshan, Pralay could mark a significant career transition.

The actor has already built a strong presence in South Indian cinema, but starring opposite Ranveer Singh in a major Hindi theatrical production could introduce her to a much wider national audience.

Her casting also adds a South Indian connection to a project that is being mounted on a large scale in Mumbai.

Release details

The film is currently in production, and an official theatrical release date has not been announced by the makers.

Reports indicate that Pralay is being planned as a major theatrical release, with the production expected to continue across multiple locations.

For now, the focus remains on completing the Mumbai schedule and developing the film’s post-apocalyptic world.

Conclusion

Ranveer Singh’s Pralay has officially gone on floors in Mumbai, beginning production on what is being planned as a large-scale post-apocalyptic action thriller. The film is directed by Jai Mehta and features Kalyani Priyadarshan as part of the cast, marking an important step towards her Bollywood debut.

With live-location filming across Mumbai, an end-of-the-world survival premise and Ranveer in the lead, Pralay is shaping up to be a markedly different project from the actor’s recent Dhurandhar films.

The makers are yet to reveal the complete plot, first look, release date and several production details, but the start of filming marks the beginning of one of Hindi cinema’s more ambitious upcoming action projects.