Good films take a lot of effort and time to be made. Some take a few weeks, others months and few others, take even longer. Recently, Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt shared that the shoot of her upcoming film Brahmastra just finished after 4 long years. They started filming the movie in 2018.
While most of this delay can be attributed to the pandemic, SS Rajamouli’s RRR also took around 4 years to complete. Here’s looking at other movies that have been in production for several years in a row.
1. Pakeezah – 15 years
It is believed that the first shot for the film starring Meena Kumari and Raj Kumar was taken in 1957. The movie was released in 1972, 15 years later. The delay in the production made the film go from black and white to colour.
2. Hum Tumhare Hai Sanam – 6 years
Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Madhuri Dixit starrer film was a big flop at the box office but the film apparently was caught up in a lot of production hassles. It took 6 years to release.
3. Avatar – 10 years
James Cameron started working on the film right after Titanic. The use of CG characters and early drafts of the film’s script amounted to an estimate of 400 million dollars. It was a huge amount for the 90s and so the film was shelved.
4. Jagga Jasoos – 5 years
The lead actors of the film, Katrina and Ranbir, broke up in 2015 while its production was in process. There were several delays and reports about the two actors refraining from coming face-to-face. It even seemed that the film will never be able to see the light of the day. Finally, it was released after 5 years.
5. Mughal-e-Azam – 16 years
The principal photography for Mughal-e-Azam began in the early 1950s and it is believed that each sequence was filmed three times. After several delays and production challenges, the film was finally released in 1960.
6. Mehbooba – 8 years
The Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan and Manisha Koirala starrrer film went into making in 1999. It was released only in 2008. From Sanjay Dutt’s legal matters to Ajay Devgn not giving his 100 percent to the project, a lot of reasons were cited for its delay.
7. Boyhood – 12 years
Richard Linklater’s movie Boyhood was filmed with the same cast over 12 years. He wanted to capture the character transformations correctly. It became one of the most loved movies of the year and was also nominated for the Oscars in 2015.
8. Roar – 11 years
Written and directed by John Marshall, Roar took 11 years to complete. It also went millions over budget and sank his finances. Also known as one of the most dangerous films ever made, the cast and crew of Roar were hurt, killed and traumatised for many years.
9. Eyes Wide Shut – 4 years
The film went through constant script changes and extended shoots. It is even said that it had the longest continuous shoot ever -15 months. There were reports that the cast and crew were completely exhausted by the time the film was completed.
Which of these you did not know?
