Starting mid-November, Amitabh Bachchan will be shooting for 45 straight days in Nagpur for Sairat-director Nagraj Manjule's upcoming Hindi debut, Jhund. 

The film is based on the life of social worker Vijay Barse (played by Amitabh) who founded the NGO Slum Soccers to popularise football among slum kids. The total shooting duration of Jhund is 70-80 days. Ahead of the shoot, the veteran actor will be meeting with the kids in the film and doing rehearsals. Although recruited as non-actors, these kids have been specially trained for the film by acting coaches. 

When asked about the shoot in Nagpur and the prep, director Nagraj Manjule says, "I chose the city because the story is based there. I wanted the look and feel to be as authentic as possible and Nagpur has its own unique charm, feel and locales, different from Mumbai and Pune. The language of the film would be best showcased in Nagpur hence I chose the lanes of that city. "

Speaking about working with Amitabh Bachchan on his debut Hindi film, Manjule adds, "Working with Mr Bachchan on a story like this is a dream come true. He has always been my favourite and there is nobody else who'd fit the role as perfectly and do justice to this particular character. In fact, the other people in the film are all new, and since I have been known to work with fresh talent, I think the combination of Mr Bachchan with this young team will be something to watch out for!"

Jhund is produced by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series, Savita Raj Hiremath and Nagraj Manjule under the banner of T-Series Films and Taandav Films Entertainment Ltd.

Meanwhile, Amitabh's upcoming release is Thugs of Hindostan, co-starring Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh. The 75-year-old actor was last seen alongside Rishi Kapoor in 102 Not Out.