The 216-year-old British Residency, which was recently thrown open to visitors post restoration, seems to have caught the fancy of filmmakers here. A few scenes of the Kalyan Ram-starrer Devil are currently being filmed there and a couple of other production houses have also evinced interest in using the iconic property for movie shoots.
The sculpted pillars, ornate papier mache ceiling and oval ballrooms of the Darbar Hall inside can easily transport one to the colonial era, making it the perfect setting for a period drama like Devil, whose tagline is ‘The British Secret Agent’ alluding to the lead star’s role.
“This is the first film to be shot inside the building post renovation. Earlier, we used to give permission for the external side only. Devil’s schedule began on May 26 and is expected to be wrapped up by June 7. Last week, representatives of two other production houses had come for a recce of the site,” says a source at the University College for Women at Koti, which houses the Residency building.
