Ramya and Vijay in new Kannada film Jhonny Mera Naam

A two-acre set for kannada director Gubbi's new film Jhonny Mera Naam is fast turning a major tourist attraction in Mysore.

Even if we had charged a nominal Rs 10 a person, we would have collected no less than Rs 5 lakh by now,” says Mohan B Kere, the art director of kannada film Jhonny Mera Naam. The huge set he has put up for the film — starring Vijay and Ramya — in Mysore is drawing crowds and has become a major tourist attraction. Spread across two acres, it is said to be the largest outdoor set erected for a Kannada film till date — a record of sorts. On weekends, the cast and crew is finding it tough to control the crowds. (Donwload free MP3 songs here)

Built at a cost of Rs 70 lakh, the mammoth set houses a row of streets, a towering bridge, commercial establishments and a series of two-storied houses. Besides, two huge bungalows have been completely erected.

“After we discussed the story, I gave sketches and photoshop images to the director and cinematographer Krishna. There were some doubts whether the project would shape up well. Now, they are very happy as they are ahead of the schedule,” says Mohan. Ninety per cent of the film's shooting, he says, is taking place in these sets alone, including songs and fights. (Download free kannada MP3 songs / videos / lyrics here)

“Since all the ‘locations’ are in one place, shooting has progressed at a brisk pace. They can wrap up shooting by 4 pm every day,” says Mohan. The art director shot to fame with Hudugaru and has since been involved in all of Ganesh's films. Others big films include, Puneeth's Aam and Raj The Showman, Sudeep's Mussanje Maatu, Darshan's Porki and Josh.

Mohan's dream project is a 'floating village, which he was supposed to set up for Mahesh's film with Shiva Rajkumar. The film has been shelved, but Mohan is hopeful that he “will raise a similar set” for some other kannada film.

Inspired by the work, a corporator in Mysore decided to set up a similar studio. The Kala Degula studio has already started functioning from last week. (Download free kannada MP3 songs / videos / lyrics here)

Shooting of the Vijay, Ramya starrer kannada film Johny Mera Naam directed by kannada director Preetham Gubbi is progressing at a very fast pace in a special set erected in Mysore.

The set is in a 2 acre plot called Gandhi Colony. Vijay, Ramya, Rangayana Raghu and Sharan are participating in the shoot of the film which started in December.

Ramya is paired for the first time with Vijay. Ramya has been raving about the crew in her microblogging site. She says that she is having fun working in this unit and she has been in splits with both Rangayana Raghu and Sharan making the entire unit happy with their antics. (Download free kannada MP3 songs / videos / lyrics here)

Vijay has had a makeover and has reduced his weight by nearly seven kgs. "Director Preetham Gubbi wanted to see a new me along wiht a brand new hair do. I had full trust in his abilities to deliver a `pucca` entertainer through Johny Mera Naam. I have just followed what he told me. I am sure that Gubbi will achieve big success through this film as he did with his previous film", says Vijay.