VHP halts Kathryn Bigelow's film shooting

The shoot of Kathryn Bigelow’s film on Osama’s killing, “Zero Dark Thirty”, ran into trouble on Friday. Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists disrupted the shoot site near Manimajra, Chandigarh, protesting against the use of Pakistani flags and banners.
A day earlier, Bigelow had met senior cops demanding more security because of the film’s sensitive storyline. The shoot was held up for three hours, after which it resumed under heavy security.The unit complained that they were abused and pushed.“They tried to break the cameras and with great difficulty, we saved them,” said a unit member.
“How could they hoist a Pak flag in India? They’ve converted pockets of Chandigarh into mini Pakistan. It’s intolerable,” said Vijay Singh Bhardwaj, VHP’s working president. The traders of Manimajra too complained of loss of business, and sources said the unit paid 7 lakh to the traders’ body as compensation.
A slice of Afghanistan
After capturing the teeming markets of Lahore, a bit of Aghanistan too was created in Chandigarh for the film’s shoot. The scene saw blue burqa-clad women and men sporting Afghani turbans taking a stroll on dusty roads. A mohalla was created where men chatted and played cards. Several shots highlighting the Afghan way of life were taken by the crew.