Editing Mohenjo Daro (film) (section)

===Pre-production===

Construction of the primary outdoor sets to be used in recreating the ancient city duly commenced in [[Bhuj|Bhuj, Gujarat]], near where Gowariker had shot his earlier film, ''[[Lagaan]]'' (2001).<ref name="auto5">Producer Sunita Gowariker interview with Indian film industry trade journal Box Office India at http://boxofficeindia.co.in/always-said-mohenjo-daro-make-believe-world/</ref>

As AGPPL producer Sunita Gowariker recounted their initial dialogue when Ashutosh decided ''Mohenjo Daro'' as his next project, her immediate response was that the city does not exist any more, how would they shoot the film. To which Ashutosh responded: "We put up the whole city!"<ref name="auto5"/> The film sets ultimately built to recreate the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro spanned more than 25 acres.<ref name="auto6">Ashutosh Gowariker & Pooja Hegde interview with Indian film industry trade journal Box Office India at http://boxofficeindia.co.in/old-world-charm/</ref>

Painstaking effort was made to ensure accuracy of the city's film set construction, matching its proportions and architecture to the actual archaeological ruins. The famous [[Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro|Great Bath]], for instance, is built to scale,<ref name="auto6"/> as are the houses in the film.<ref name="auto6"/> To quote lead actress Pooja Hegde, "The sets were so detailed that once we stepped onto them, you were enveloped by the ambience. Ashu sir's detailing is so great that if there's a ''mashal'', the wall behind it would be blackened to resemble soot. Whenever I stepped onto the sets, I automatically got into the mood ... Ashu sir made you feel like you were already there."<ref>Ashutosh Gowariker & Pooja Hegde interview with Indian film industry trade journal Box Office India at http://boxofficeindia.co.in/old-world-charm</ref>

However, construction was delayed in mid-September 2014, when workers belonging to [[Federation of Western India Cine Employees|Allied Mazdoor Union and Film Studio Setting]] refused to complete the [[pre-production]] work, alleging non-payment of their regular expenses and remuneration. In response to this stalled situation, Gowariker took a legal route and [[Lawsuit|lodged a complaint]] with the Indian Film and Television Producers' Council accusing the members of stalling work that would result in losses to the company. Lawrence D'Souza, the executive producer of the film, maintained that though their payments were ready, the remote filming locations of Bhuj delayed the reception of the same.<ref name="shoot1">{{cite web |title=Ashutosh Gowariker files complaint against union members for disrupting shoot |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2651027/Ashutosh-Gowariker-files-complaint-against-union-members-for-disrupting-shoot |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140925084524/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2651027/Ashutosh-Gowariker-files-complaint-against-union-members-for-disrupting-shoot |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 September 2014 |website=[[Bollywood Hungama]] |access-date=27 September 2014 |date=23 September 2014}}</ref>

[[Ayananka Bose]] had originally been signed as the cinematographer. When the film was delayed, he took up other projects as he was paid on a [[Project management|project-to-project]] basis. Bose failed to join the discussions prior to filming and requested Gowariker to be allowed to join the set directly after he was done with his other commitments. A displeased Gowariker replaced Bose with [[C. K. Muraleedharan]].<ref>{{cite web |title='Mohenhjo Daro' DOP fired for taking up other projects during film's delay |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/150129/entertainment-bollywood/article/mohenhjo-daro-dop-fired-taking-other-projects-during-films |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]] |access-date=2 February 2015 |date=2 February 2015}}</ref>

The initial outdoor schedule of principal photography had been projected to begin in November 2014. However, further delay occurred when lead actor Hrithik Roshan injured his shoulder during training in late October 2014. Because ''Mohenjo Daro'' was a physically demanding film with challenging action sequences that were to be shot starting with the very first schedule, and no body doubles were to be used, Gowariker postponed the shoot for six weeks, until January 2015. Confirming this delay, Sunita Gowariker stated, "Ashutosh and I want Hrithik to recuperate fully before beginning the film, since we plan to start with action sequences. Now we will start shooting in the first week of January. It is important to us that Hrithik is 100% fit, and shifting the shooting dates by a few weeks makes a lot of sense."<ref>{{cite AV media |date=28 October 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuGXaueVOng |title=Hrithik Roshan's injury pushes Mohenjo Daro to January - TOI |publisher=[[Times of India]] |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191129014221/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuGXaueVOng |archive-date=29 November 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>