Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Bard of Blood created its Pakistan and Balochistan settings through a combination of real locations, matched interiors, props, and visual effects—not one all-purpose set. Production designer Sunil Nigvekar described the process in a 2019 interview with Scroll.in, explaining how filming in Leh and Ladakh, Rajasthan, and Mumbai helped shape the series’ screen world.
How the production represented Pakistan and Balochistan
The series used different locations for different kinds of scenes. In Scroll.in’s October 4, 2019 interview, Nigvekar said exterior scenes set in Pakistan and Balochistan were filmed in Leh and Ladakh, while Pakistani towns and lanes were filmed in Rajasthan. Mumbai provided most of the interiors and smaller built environments.
That division let the production combine expansive landscapes with streets and rooms designed to fit them. The result was not a claim that any one Indian location literally stood in for all of Pakistan; it was a screen geography assembled from places whose visual qualities served different scenes.
Where the series was filmed
Nigvekar described a shoot of about 70 days: 22 days in Leh and Ladakh, around 20 days in Rajasthan, and the remaining days in Mumbai. These are figures from his account in the 2019 interview, not independently audited schedule data.
#1 Best Overall
| Location | Use described by Nigvekar | Reported time |
|---|---|---|
| Leh and Ladakh | Exterior Pakistan and Balochistan scenes | 22 shooting days |
| Rajasthan | Pakistani towns and lanes | Around 20 shooting days |
| Mumbai | Most interiors and smaller sets | Remaining days of the approximately 70-day shoot |
Why the production built many smaller sets
Nigvekar said the production created 34 sets, most of them Mumbai interiors, rather than constructing one large set. The interiors had to connect plausibly with the exterior locations in Leh, Ladakh, and Rajasthan.
Among the spaces he cited were the madrasa used as Mulla Khalid’s base, Tanveer Shehzad’s interiors, the bakery where Kabir is kidnapped, and the bathroom for the opening fight. A plaster-of-Paris structure was also built for a flashback shootout. The madrasa was created in two days, Nigvekar said.
Matching interiors to location footage is a practical design problem as much as a visual one: a room needs to feel as though it belongs to the town seen outside it, while the production still has to build what a scene requires in the time and space available.
How earlier research informed props and detail
Nigvekar said photographs and observations gathered during an earlier recce for Tere Bin Laden informed the local references for Bard of Blood. They included images of shops, home interiors, and furniture. The team also sent people to source carpets, upholstery, utensils, and other props; Nigvekar noted that some objects, including a large communal thaal, were available only in Pakistan.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
He joined Bard of Blood 15 days before filming, according to the interview. That short preparation interval makes the reliance on existing visual references and targeted sourcing especially significant: the work described was not simply a matter of inventing a look from scratch.
How a pipeline sequence combined a real site, construction, and VFX
The pipeline explosion sequence was filmed near the salt pans in Sambhar, Rajasthan. Existing storage facilities could read as pipeline infrastructure, and the production used a broken bridge built to carry salt as the basis for a constructed pipeline section. Nigvekar put that built section at 40 to 45 feet; visual effects extended it beyond the physical construction.
Rank #4
The sequence illustrates the production’s layered approach: a real location supplied the setting, existing structures supplied useful visual cues, a built element made the action possible, and VFX extended what the camera could show.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The high-altitude shoot and its constraints
Nigvekar described the area near Khardung La Pass as the most challenging location. In his 2019 account, it was at 6,000 metres, involved a crew of 500, and had a single access road. He recalled persistent wind and dust, with temperatures ranging from minus one degree Celsius on the first day to minus 16 on the final day. These details are his reported production account.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Those conditions shaped the practical work of filming in the landscape: access was constrained, and the crew had to contend with wind, dust, and severe cold while working at altitude.
What the color palette was designed to do
Nigvekar described a visual distinction between settings: earthy reds, browns, and blacks for exteriors; grey for the Leh portions; and warmer shades of green for interiors. He said the choices drew on his observations of locations, architecture, and references such as the Pakistani flag.
He also said he did not know why green is associated with Islamic terrorism. That comment belongs to his account of a production choice, not an objective statement about a religion or political group. The palette is best understood as a design decision for the show’s visual world.
The design choices behind the screen world
Nigvekar’s account shows a production built around a mix of real locations and constructed detail. Landscapes, Rajasthan streets, Mumbai interiors, sourced props, practical construction, and VFX each filled a distinct role. The series’ sense of place came from how those elements were matched together, under a compressed preparation period and demanding location conditions.
For further context, the Diorama Film Festival lists Nigvekar in a masterclass titled “Of Sets & Settings,” concerning set design, challenges, and approaches for Tere Bin Laden and Bard of Blood: Diorama Film Festival webinar listing. The listing identifies the subject of the session; it is not a transcript or separate confirmation of the production figures.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
