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By:

Bharati Dubey

17 May 2026 at 1:38:10 am

After Don-3 controversy, Ranveer’s next film goes on floors

Mumbai: After months of attention surrounding his reported exit from Don 3, Ranveer Singh has finally moved on to his next major cinematic venture. The actor’s ambitious survival spectacle Pralay has officially gone on floors in Mumbai today, marking the beginning of filming on one of the most ambitious and scale-driven projects in Indian cinema. Headlined by Ranveer Singh and directed by Jai Mehta, Pralay is an original end-of-the-world action thriller that promises to take audiences into a...

After Don-3 controversy, Ranveer’s next film goes on floors

Mumbai: After months of attention surrounding his reported exit from Don 3, Ranveer Singh has finally moved on to his next major cinematic venture. The actor’s ambitious survival spectacle Pralay has officially gone on floors in Mumbai today, marking the beginning of filming on one of the most ambitious and scale-driven projects in Indian cinema. Headlined by Ranveer Singh and directed by Jai Mehta, Pralay is an original end-of-the-world action thriller that promises to take audiences into a world on the brink of annihilation. Produced by Ananya Birla’s Birla Studios, Hansal Mehta and Sahil Saigal’s True Story Films, and Maa Kasam Films, the film combines large-scale spectacle with a deeply human story of survival, courage and the instinct to fight for what matters most. The film marks Ranveer’s next major motion picture following Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar – The Revenge, which emerged as the highest-grossing film of all time. With Pralay, the actor once again ventures into unexplored cinematic territory, taking on a disruptive new concept that demands both physical intensity and emotional conviction. Ranveer will also serve as a producer on the film. The project comes at an important point in the actor’s career. His reported exit from Don 3 had generated considerable buzz, particularly as he was expected to carry forward one of Indian cinema’s most iconic franchises. With Pralay, Ranveer now turns the page with an entirely original story rather than stepping into another established universe. Joining him is Lokah breakout actress Kalyani Priyadarshan, who plays a pivotal role in the film and brings together another exciting performer from the new generation of Indian talent. For Ananya Birla, Pralay represents Birla Studios’ ambition to push the boundaries of mainstream Indian cinema by collaborating with contemporary creative forces. For True Story Films’ Hansal Mehta and Sahil Saigal, the project reflects their commitment to disruptive storytelling and content-driven cinema. Behind the camera, Jai Mehta leads the ambitious project. His work on Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, which he co-directed with Hansal Mehta, and Lootere has earned widespread acclaim. With Pralay, he steps into a significantly larger canvas, bringing together an ensemble of creative and technical talent from India and around the world. Set against the unmistakable pulse and landscape of Mumbai, Pralay follows a relentless journey of survival against the terrifying possibility of an end-of-the-world catastrophe. The film aims to marry breathtaking spectacle with an emotional core, exploring what people are willing to do to survive when the world as they know it begins to collapse. The makers are shooting extensively at live locations in and around Mumbai, embracing the physicality and unpredictability of real-world environments. The approach is designed to add scale, texture and realism to the apocalyptic world while creating an immersive theatrical experience. The film had already undergone several months of highly technical and intensive pre-production before cameras began rolling. Its ambitious mounting and unusual premise have made Pralay one of the most talked-about upcoming projects in Indian cinema.

Capital Dreams

Maharashtra has become the first Indian state to set up an Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) of its own. Dubbed ‘MahaInvIT, the initiative will transfer selected assets from the Public Works Department, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation and the Maharashtra Infrastructure Corporation into a new financial structure. The goal is bold: to unlock future revenues today and use them to fund new infrastructure such as roads and bridges.


In theory, the move makes sense. The state is adopting a model successfully used elsewhere. Infrastructure Investment Trusts, pioneered in the United States in 1960, offer a way to securitise infrastructure income and attract both private and public investors. India’s National Highways Authority (NHAI) embraced the idea in 2020, raising funds through its own National Highway InvIT. Maharashtra’s version mirrors that template.


It is meant to act as a bridge between the state’s infrastructure ambitions and its capital constraints. The state is no stranger to fiscal pressure, and the MahaInvIT could serve as a clever workaround: instead of burdening the exchequer with more borrowing, it turns predictable revenue streams from existing public assets into an investable product.


However, for all its innovation, the trust’s success will depend less on structure and more on execution. India has long suffered from the malaise of announcement-heavy, delivery-light governance. Grand plans stumble over bureaucratic inertia, delayed clearances and capacity constraints. Consider the NHAI InvIT itself. While it did manage to raise over Rs. 5,000 crore initially, questions persist about project quality, investor appetite and the time taken to bring assets on stream. Similar bottlenecks await MahaInvIT if the state does not ensure efficient execution and transparent governance.


InvITs are not magic wands. They require steady, reliable income from underlying assets, not something every public infrastructure project in India can guarantee. Revenue models for many roads and bridges depend on toll collections or annuity payments which can be susceptible to political interference or poor compliance. If investor returns fall short of expectations, confidence in the model could erode quickly.


Then there is the question of accountability. What happens if the trust fails to attract sufficient investment? Or if the projects it funds underperform? The governance framework must not only comply with SEBI norms but also go beyond them, ensuring transparency, performance benchmarks and independent audits. Maharashtra’s record on this front is mixed.


Still, the state deserves credit for stepping ahead of the curve. As India embarks on its next wave of urbanisation and infrastructure expansion, states will need to think creatively about financing. That, ultimately, is the question. Ambition is not in short supply. But will there be ground results? Without swift project clearances, robust governance and investor confidence, the trust merely remains a gesture of financial engineering rather than a catalyst for bulldozers and backhoes.


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