Exotic locales, never-before visited countries or even if it’s within India, film-makers are vying to score brownie points with the backdrop they choose to shoot their films in. So, when Vidhu Vinod Chopra chose the archaic Mumbai University campus to shoot their forthcoming, Ferrari Ki Sawari in, they wanted everything to be perfectly in place for the same.

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In fact, the university campus has been let out for shooting after a long gap of 18 years. The last film to have got this rare permission being Vidhu’s 1942 — A Love Story. “Obtaining permission to shoot in this 130-year-old magnificent heritage building can be quite a task,” says a source in the university, adding, “Only after the concerned authorities scrutinised the scene thoroughly, did they relent.”

The scene in question — that of a school choir with the university as backdrop. Debutant director Rajesh Mapuskar, also Rajkumar Hirani’s protegee, says, “It was like a dream come true to get a chance to shoot at the university campus and being able to capture the true essence of the heritage after so many years.”

The entire team — producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra, dialogue writer Rajkumar Hirani and director, Rajesh, along with actors Sharman Joshi, Deepika Padukone and Aryan Khan are going all out to make sure that Ferrari… is no less than perfect, especially as it comes on the heels of their last blockbuster, 3 Idiots. Also, it’s typical of Raju to travel to actual locations to capture them onscreen.

So infectious is this that actor Sharman Joshi too has been following the same routine, travelling extensively to shoot in real locations. A source from the production unit says, “Sharman thoroughly enjoyed the experience of shooting at the university campus along with the kids and was overheard saying how this particular scene will always have a special place in his memory.”

Rajesh adds, “Sharman was absolutely great and there was a lot of positive energy on the sets.”