Ajay Devgn to play a grey supernatural character in Rohit Jugraj’s horror film ‘Griha Pravesh’ 21 years after ‘Kaal’

Ajay Devgn is set to step into morally complex territory once again with Rohit Jugraj’s upcoming horror film ‘Griha Pravesh’. The actor will reportedly portray a supernatural character with shades of grey, marking his return to this space nearly 21 years after ‘Kaal’ (2005). The film, which was initially expected to begin production in July, has now been pushed to September. The team will start shooting in Mumbai before moving to the UK for the later portions of the schedule.As stated by Mid-Day, reports suggest that the makers had originally planned to shoot the entire film in the United Kingdom. However, Ajay Devgn’s existing professional commitments led to a change in the schedule.“The first schedule has been postponed because Ajay is shooting the television series Crime Patrol, which he is hosting. He is also completing the last schedule for the jungle adventure film, Ranger. Kumar Mangat [producer] and Rohit felt that it would save more time if they completed a chunk of the schedule in Mumbai and then went to London later in the year,” reports quoted a source as saying.The opening schedule will reportedly run for around a week and will focus on introducing the principal characters. Portions of the film will be shot on a Mumbai set designed to resemble the interiors of a British home.‘Griha Pravesh’ takes inspiration from ‘Garuda Puran’, the ancient Sanskrit text traditionally attributed to Veda Vyasa. The scripture features a conversation between Lord Vishnu and Garuda and deals with subjects including human duties, death, karma, rebirth, and the journey of the soul after death.Reports suggest that these themes are closely tied to Ajay Devgn’s character in the film.“The book is divided in two parts, Purva Khanda that covers life and duties and Preta Khanda, which focuses on death, the afterlife journey of the soul, and funeral rites. It also focuses on whether actions on earth determine a soul’s experiences, peace, or suffering in the afterlife and its future rebirth. Ajay’s character is somewhere connected to all this [as a corrupted soul],” the source said.The actor’s role is expected to have supernatural elements while also carrying a morally ambiguous side. This will bring Devgn back to the darker territory he explored in ‘Kaal’, which released in 2005.The report also described the upcoming film as something distinct from conventional horror fare, saying, “The story is fascinating and something out of the ordinary.”Following the initial schedule, Devgn is expected to turn his attention to promotions for ‘Drishyam 3’, which is scheduled to release in October. He is then slated to begin work on the thriller ‘Chauhaan’ in December.‘Griha Pravesh’ also brings Ajay Devgn and Rohit Jugraj together in the horror genre for the second time. Jugraj had earlier worked as an assistant to filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma on ‘Bhoot’ (2003), the horror film led by Devgn.With its supernatural premise, themes surrounding the afterlife and Devgn taking on a potentially darker role, ‘Griha Pravesh’ marks an intriguing addition to the actor’s upcoming slate.