MUMBAI: Filmmaker Prakash Jha, who has shot with Amitabh Bachchan in Bhopal for his film "Satyagraha", was the one who suggested the City of Lakes as the shooting location for "Ek Duje Ke Vaaste 2", says Dilip Jha, writer and creative producer of the upcoming TV show.

The love saga is set against the backdrop of Indian Army, and recreating authenticity was a challenge. Mumbai wasn't the ideal location.

"There is no space. We were going to Dehradun for research," Dilip told IANS here.

Unfortunately, they didn't get permission to shoot for a long duration. Then an "interesting" thing happened.

"I have known Mr. Prakash Jha for years now. I was working on ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'. I was in Ranchi for my research for the film. That's when I first met Prakashji. We share a good bond. I think he is one of the first filmmakers to shoot here. He is quite a visionary," said Jha, who had contributed as a writer to the 2016 film.

One day while talking to Prakash, the filmmaker asked him: "Kya kar raha hai aaj kal (what are you doing these days?) I said this is the show I am working on. I have been trying to figure out where to shoot it. He said ‘Go to Bhopal'. I said ‘I am going to Dehradun'. He said ‘Trust me, you should check out Bhopal. I am not telling you this because of the space or look. I am telling you this because of its people'.

Then Prakash called up a line producer here and asked him to help out Dilip.

"I came here and I got surprised. The amount of work that is happening here. Now I know that ITA Awards happened (in Madhya Pradesh), IIFA is here. Paramount (Pictures) was shooting here. I started researching. I was happy to see BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) and I thought I could convert it into a cantonment area," said Dilip.

The show will premiere on February 10 on Sony Entertainment Television.