The
over-hyped
news
reports
about
the
F-16
that
Shahid
Kapoor
flew
as
part
of
his
role
as
an
air
force
pilot
was
just
much
ado
about
nothing
meant
to
camouflage
the
real
story
about
Shahid's
air
force
training
for
his
role
in
Pankaj
Kapoor's
Mausam.
The
shooting
started
from
Wednesday
at
the
Gwalior
airbase.
Every
attempt
was
made
to
keep
the
venue
and
the
dynamics
of
Shahid's
air
force
activities
a
secret.
Says
a
source,
"Permission
to
shoot
at
the
Gwalior
airbase
has
been
secured
after
clearance
from
the
highest
levels
in
the
Capital
on
condition
that
there
would
be
no
disturbance
or
disruption
in
the
airbase
routine
of
any
sort
whatsoever."
To
ensure
that
the
Mausam
crew's
presence
in
Gwalior
was
not
revealed
to
the
people
of
Gwalior,
the
entire
crew
has
been
instructed
to
stay
at
the
airbase.
This
is
where
the
problem
crept
in.
Plans
to
house
Shahid
within
the
airbase
had
to
be
aborted
after
being
defined
as
a
"security
hazard".
Says
a
source,
"On
a
trial
visit
to
the
Gwalior
base,
it
was
discovered
that
the
cadets
at
the
airbase
could
not
focus
on
their
duties
with
Shahid
in
their
midst.
He
has
therefore
been
instructed
to
seek
accommodation
in
a
hotel
while
the
rest
of
the
crew
will
stay
at
the
airbase."
Producer
Sheetal
Talwar
refuses
to
divulge
any
details
on
the
whereabouts
of
the
airbase
shooting.
"All
I
can
tell
you
is,
we
are
now
shooting
all
the
scenes
of
Shahid's
as
an
air
force
pilot
in
the
next
one
week."
These
sequences
form
a
vital
part
of
the
narrative.
Director
Pankaj
Kapoor
has
worked
out
all
the
details
of
the
airbase
shooting
to
avoid
even
the
smallest
delay
or
glitch.
But
concealing
Shahid's
presence
in
Gwalior
is
expected
to
be
a
problem.
Story first published: Thursday, February 17, 2011, 12:16 [IST]