CM's Convoy used for 'Leader'

When Shekhar Kammula does it, he wants everything to have the sheen of reality. Last time, when he introduced a new kinda political idealist in his film Godavari, he was talking about real-time parties like Congress and TDP.

This time, when he is making Leader, with Daggabati Rana in the lead, he has gotten real again. To shoot a scene in which Rana, the lead actor, has to travel in a specially-designed protective convoy like a Chief Minister (the debutante is playing the chief minister of AP in the film!), Mr. Kammula decided to shoot it with the actual convoy used by late Chief Minister Dr. Y S Rajasekhara Reddy!

Securing a special permission from high-profile bureaucrats and polticos in the Government, he shot it publicly on the Khairatabad fly-over. Giving the facade of reality to make people think that it was the CM who was passing the road, the unit members did not let the public there know that it was a film shoot, they shot the whole scene by hiding the cameras.

Never to compromise on quality, Shekhar did it clandestinely, though it involved negotiating with biggies. As the perfectionist-director felt the scene was not still perfect, he re-shot the same scene after a week.

With the makers planning to release the film on December 24, the audio will be released in the last week of November or first week of December. Hope Leader turns out to be the true Box-office leader.