A nail-biting horse racing climax for Winner

Director Gopichand Malineni, who has returned after successfully wrapping up the European schedule of his upcoming ‘Winner’, starring Sai Dharam Tej, says they shot a breathtaking horse racing climax sequence in Istanbul.

"We shot the climax in Istanbul race course. It's a nail-biting horse racing sequence, featuring Sai and the film's antagonist Thakur Anoop Singh. The whole action episode was shot under the supervision of Bulgarian stunt director Kaloian Vodenicharov, who had worked on films such as 'Baahubali' and 'World War Z'," Malineni said, adding he is thrilled with the output.

Before heading to Istanbul, the team shot three songs in Ukraine. "At one point, the temperature had dropped to -2 degrees. Initially, we struggled to cope with the climate but a few days later we got used to it," he said, claiming ‘Winner’ is the first Indian film to be shot in Ukraine.

"Although the makers of '2.o' had come before us, they didn't shoot there. We were told that they had taken pictures of some locations in order to recreate the same in India," he added. From December 6, the next schedule of the film will commence in Ooty, followed by another one in Bengaluru. Produced by Nallamalupu Bujji and Tagore Madhu, the film also stars Rakul Preet Singh.