A bungalow in Sindh Society, Pune, where a part of the shooting for the film will take place. (AP)

Mumbai, Oct. 7: As the deadline approaches for the shoot of Angelina Jolie’s A Mighty Heart, all the action in Pune seems centred on the city’s bungalows.

At Sindh Society’s Nayansukh bungalow in Aundh, on the outskirts of Pune, workers are battling the clock to finish the interiors. The house will masquerade as the Karachi home of US journalist Daniel Pearl, whose kidnapping and murder by Pakistani militants forms the subject of the film.

Pitt at a Pune hotel on Friday. (AP)

“There’s still a lot to do,” sighed Nitin, a production hand who refused to reveal details.

Outside the bungalow, with its black iron gates, were parked two Hyundai taxis freshly painted in yellow and bearing the numbers PH 3305 and PL 2077. Below the number plates was written “Karachi”.

The bungalow has changed quite a bit since Jolie and partner Brad Pitt decided to feature it in their movie. Now the outer wall is 10 feet high, the gates are broader and the wall diagonally opposite has been covered with white sheets to match Nayansukh’s facade.

A photograph of slain journalist Daniel Pearl. (Below) Dan Futterman, who plays Pearl in A Mighty Heart, enters a hotel in Pune on Saturday. (AP)

“The work inside is very stylish — the furniture is very fashionable, too. I have done welding work on the gate,” said Ananta Kumhar, who has a workshop in Aundh.

Scores of workers are busy also at two other bungalows: number 109, owned by businessman Ashok Kinger, and number 132, called Bhallas Kutir.

Kinger’s is a sprawling house with a front yard. Sources say it has numerous rooms and the star couple will be happy to see the changes made to them. This bungalow, sources say, is being furnished to resemble an office in Karachi.

“I have seen people moving in office furniture — revolving chairs and desks,” said Sharda Singh, who owned the bungalow just next to 132.

Bhallas Kutir is being used as the production office, where the assorted items required by the workmen and the production team are being stored.

Many vehicles have been pulling up at each of these houses. Sometime in the afternoon yesterday, a posh van brought in two foreigners, possibly members of the shooting crew, who went into Nayansukh to examine the preparations.

“We can’t tell you anything! We will lose our jobs,” they said refusing to reveal their names.

All through the day, truckloads of furniture, blankets, napkins and other stuff arrived at the house, indicating that the team was putting final touches to the set.

Two more bungalows at Sindh Society have been hired for the film crew, sources said.

The number of security personnel has been increased at the three bungalows. Rahul Nanda’s Tops Securities is in charge, aided by the star couple’s personal security staff.

“As long as they (Jolie-Pitt and the film crew) are here we are going to be in charge. They also have their own men,” said security-in-charge Bipin Singh.

An employee of the hotel Le Meridien, Purva Chaudhary, confirmed that Jolie and Pitt were staying at the hotel. The couple and their crew have booked suites. The fifth floor has been sealed off to the rest of the guests.

The chef insisted he hadn’t been asked to prepare anything special for the stars.

The couple managed to give the media the slip yesterday afternoon. Sources said that instead of their usual means of transport, a six-seater Mercedes van, the couple climbed into a local auto-rickshaw. As it sped off from the front entrance, the media waited in the basement exit gate.