The thriller ‘Hide and Seek’, which releases across India today, will have a special resonance forAmdavadis because their city is the stage on which the film’saction unfolds.
The film, shot at the Iscon Mall on the SG road, has been produced by Apoorva Lakhia, an Amdavadi who has directed such films as ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’ and ‘Ek Ajnabee’.‘Hide and Seek’ marks Lakhia’s debut as director.
As for the Iscon Mall, it plays an integral part in the film; shooting took place at the mall for 26 consecutive nights.“I zeroed in on the Iscon Mall because of its unique structure,” Lakhia said. “You enter from the ground floor and when you turn right, you land up on the first floor! When I saw this, I knew this was my location.”
Lakhia had moved out of Amdavad when he was in standard III, but his base still lies in the city.“I studied at the Lawrence Boarding School in Himachal Pradesh,” he said.
“Later, after having worked in Delhi, I left for the US for further studies.” Lakhia finally moved to Mumbai eight years ago. Despite the peregrinations, he is still attached to Amdavad.
“I may travel all over the world but I call Ahmedabad my home,” Lakhia said. “My extended family and friends all live here and all my childhood memories come from this city.” He said whenever he made a film, people would ask him how he planned to promote his state. “This was the opportunity, and I took up the challenge,” he said.
Indeed, Lakhia’s bond with Ahmedabad is so strong that despite his busy schedule, he makes it a point to celebrate Uttarayan every year at his beautiful traditional house in Jethabhai ni Pol in Khadia.
To promote the film in Ahmedabad, the entire cast and crew of the film will be present in the city on Saturday evening for a rock show at the mall. The premiere will follow at Wide Angle.
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