Pilot steers the flight to Russia

Ajay Devgn on the set of Mayday

In April, Ajay Devgn had to hit the pause button on his directorial venture Mayday ahead of its last leg. The team of the aviation thriller was to shoot the final schedule at the Doha airport, but the plan had to be scrapped due to safety concerns and international travel restrictions at the time. Now that the situation has improved considerably, the actor-director is wasting no time in giving the finishing touches to the Amitabh Bachchan and Rakul Preet Singh starrer. Devgn headed to Moscow with cinematographer Aseem Bajaj, line producer Vikrant Sharma, first assistant director Sameer Sadwani and director's assistant Daanish Gandhi over the weekend, for a recce.

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A trade source reveals that Devgn and his crew will be stationed in the Russian capital for a week. "After they finalise the locations, they will take about 45 days to prep for the schedule. Post that, Ajay, Rakul Preet, Boman Irani, writer Sandeep Kewlani and the core unit will fly down to Moscow in mid-October for the eight-day shoot. Some crucial airport scenes will be canned at one of the five airports in the city," says the source.

A major chunk of Mayday was shot at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. The aviation thriller is inspired by a 2015 incident when a flight from a Middle Eastern country had a close shave due to poor visibility and had to be diverted to Thiruvananthapuram. As has been the norm for Mayday schedules, the Russian stint too will be shot in a bio-bubble. "Only the fully vaccinated have travelled to Russia as Ajay is strict about following safety measures."

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