Actor Viineet Kumar Singh has shot extensively in Lucknow and his home state Uttar Pradesh. Last seen in Chhaava and Jaat, the actor has a strong connection with the state capital. “While Varanasi is my janmabhoomi and Mumbai is my karmabhoomi, Lucknow, too, has a been really important for my upbringing.

My first outing!

“My first memory of moving out of Varanasi was coming to Lucknow. I came here as a mini (under 12) to play basketball at the KD Singh Babu Stadium. Big cars, tall buildings, big showrooms were all novelty for me. Then, there used to be Nixon Market near the stadium, which sold foreign goods at economical prices, where I shopped. So, whenever I get time during shoots, I go to the stadium for a while, take a stroll in the erstwhile basketball court and relive my memories. Bachpan se hi lagaav raha hai Lucknow se,” he says.

The actor recalls, “Later, I came here for a 21-day camp. I remember buying a purse for mummy, a T-shirt for papa and things related to sports for my brother and sisters. I spent all my money buying gifts for them. These are very fond and strong memories.”

A shoot-friendly place!

“Rangbaaz (2022), my most successful OTT show so far, was shot entirely in Lucknow and Sitapur. Besides Bareilly and Varanasi, a portion of Mukkabaaz (2018) was also shot here. I extensively shot for Sudhir Mishra’s DaasDev (2018) here, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020), and Match Fixing, which released earlier this year,” he says.

Viineet adds, “If we move bit further, Gangs of Wasseypur was 90% shot in Varanasi. My next with Anurag (Kashyap, director) sir Nishanchi has been extensively shot here in two schedules (the movie is in two parts). Lucknow is a very shoot-friendly place. Since I am also a writer, I make sure that all my stories have my state in some way or another. Kaafi yogdaan raha hai iss shehar ka meri journey mein.”