Bollywood and its tryst with Lucknow churches - Hindustan Times
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Bollywood and its tryst with Lucknow churches

By, Lucknow
Dec 25, 2022 12:17 AM IST

Portions of Shyam Benegal’s ‘Junoon’ and Amitabh Bachchan-starrer ‘Gulabo Sitabo’ were filmed in two churches in Lucknow

A walk down celluloid memory lane reveals that Bollywood directors have chosen the churches of Lucknow for shooting their films.

The Church of Epiphany on Capper Road in Lucknow. (SOURCED IMAGE )
The Church of Epiphany on Capper Road in Lucknow. (SOURCED IMAGE )

For instance, Shyam Benegal selected the 165-year-old Wesleyan Methodist Church in the state capital for shooting a portion of his film ‘Junoon’ featuring Shashi Kapoor in the late 1970s.

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Similarly, a small portion of Shoojit Sircar’s Gulabo Sitabo featuring Amitabh Bachchan was filmed at Lucknow’s Church of Epiphany on Capper Road.

“Shooting of some of the essential scenes for the film Junoon was done in the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Wesleyan Mission which resides on defence land in the Cantt area of Lucknow. As the Lucknow church resembles the church in Shahjahanpur where British forces fought Indian patriots, Benegal for his own convenience decided to shoot here in Lucknow,” said Jai Karan Singh, the priest in-charge.

“The director took permission from Rev Jahan Singh, who was the priest in charge of the Wesleyan Church at that time, and also took consent from defence authorities. The permission was granted as Rev Jahan Singh was the army chaplin so it worked easier for the star cast. The church and the parsonage ( residence of the priest in charge) were used in the film.

Based on Ruskin Bond’s A Flight of Pigeons, the story was set in the backdrop of India’s First War of Independence in 1857. The film bagged three National Film awards and six Filmfare awards. Alongside Shashi Kapoor, the other actors were Nafisa Ali, Naseeruddin Shah, Kulbhusan, Shabana Azmi and Jennifer Kendal, he said. ‘Junoon’ was shot in parts of Lucknow, Malihabad and Kakori.

As the story was set in the backdrop of India’s First War of Independence, the actor-director duo wanted to check some facts with the late historian Yogesh Praveen as he had done a lot of research in the area.

The 150-year-old red-brick edifice of Lucknow’s Church of Epiphany was used to shoot for ‘Gulabo Sitabo,’ that had an OTT (over the top) release in 2020 as multiplexes were closed due to Covid-19. Thousands of locals gathered to catch a glimpse of Amitabh Bachchan who played the character of Mirza. Church presbyter Rev Evan Frank Baksh remembers the shooting of the film on the church premises in 2019.

“Mr Bachchan, dressed as his character, was quietly seated on a bench. He sported prosthetics that gave him the look of a fragile, old person with white hair, making him unrecognisable to fans. All who had gathered were looking for Mr Bachchan, who was coolly seated right in front of them… While curious onlookers thronged the area, security guards and bouncers would not allow anyone to go anywhere close to Mr Bachchan. No mobile camera was allowed, and hence, the Church records do not have photographs of the shooting,” he said.

Shoojit Sircar and his team had zeroed in on this church to shoot the last portion of the film, a wedding scene where Amitabh Bachchan (Mirza) comes in to finalise his property papers. Praising the beauty of the church, Shoojit Sircar had said, “We were looking for a venue where our character Christopher Clark (played by Brijendra Kala) hosts his daughter’s marriage. I wanted something grand yet traditional. When I came across this vintage piece of architecture, this red-brick church standing right in the middle of the city – I knew I had found my location.”

“For me, it gave a certain character and texture to the entire scene and for that, I’m grateful to the presbyter and the management who were kind and accommodating. Overall, the cultural diversity, and more so unity of Lucknow, one of the oldest cities of our country, will always stay with me,” the director said.

Much of the film was shot at different locations in Qaiserbagh and Chowk, but for the wedding scene the church spread over six to seven acres of area, under the CNI Diocese of Lucknow, was chosen.

The film unit happily contributed 1 lakh to carry out some repair work, said reverend Evan Frank, who along with a few management members of the church, had the opportunity of briefly interacting with Amitabh Bachchan.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Rajeev Mullick is a Special Correspondent, he writes on education, telecom and heads city bureau at Lucknow. Love travelling

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