Valley viewpoint above Mahabaleshwar

Plan a Shoot · Sahyadri Filmworks

Sahyadri Filmworks

Location · Production · Film Services — built by Saud Sheikh in Mahabaleshwar.

Shooting in the hills?

How a shoot comes together

Five steps, one person on the ground. Start anywhere — or follow it through.

  1. 01 Locations Bungalows, ghats, forests, lakes — scouted, walked and locked.
  2. 02 Permissions Police, forest, district and the town council, cleared before you arrive.
  3. 03 Crew & Equipment Cranes, drones, power, vans, extras and local crew.
  4. 04 Transport & Stay Cars, vans and hotel transfers through Dizzyland.
  5. 05 The Work What it looks like when it comes together.
Saud Sheikh smiling outdoors in the hills above Mahabaleshwar

Born in the hills he now shoots in

Mahabaleshwar isn’t a location to him. It’s home.

Saud Sheikh was born and brought up in Mahabaleshwar — the same misty, strawberry-red hills that production designers now fly across the country to shoot in. That's the edge he brings to a call sheet: he isn't scouting a place he read about, he's opening doors he's known his whole life.

For over 15 years, he has worked as a location manager across Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, coordinating film, television and advertising units — from securing permissions and negotiating with landowners, to managing crowd control, logistics and unit movement on some of the most demanding hill-station shoots in the country.

Alongside his work on set, Saud also runs Dizzyland Tours and Travels, a taxi and transport service tied up with hotels across the region for 20 years — ferrying guests, crews and productions alike through the same roads he knows better than anyone.

15+ Years in Production
20+ Years — Dizzyland Tours & Travels
2 Home Turf: Mahabaleshwar & Panchgani
Sahyadri Filmworks logo — location, production and film services

The Company

Sahyadri Filmworks

Saud's location and production work runs under Sahyadri Filmworks — a Mahabaleshwar-based outfit built around location scouting, production support and full film services across the Sahyadri range. It's the banner behind the credits on this page.

  • Location scouting & permissions
  • Production support & unit logistics
  • End-to-end film services
  • Equipment & fleet — cranes, jibs, drones, power, vehicles
  • Extras & crowd management
Address Mahabaleshwar, District Satara, Maharashtra – 412806
Contact +91 93702 22020
Download the full company profile (PDF) Download the Shoot Kit: production guide to Mahabaleshwar (PDF)

Works With

The units that come up the ghats

Saud works with production houses and line producers from across the industry — Hindi and Telugu features, web series, music videos and ad films. Some come up once for a schedule. Others come back every season.

See the Credits

A regular partner

Click Flick Films

Saud works closely with Monty, line producer at Click Flick Films Private Limited, which handles line production across Maharashtra and Goa. When a Click Flick unit shoots in Mahabaleshwar or Panchgani, Saud runs the locations — scouting, recces, permissions and the shoot itself.

No-objection certificate from Mahabaleshwar Giristhan Nagar Parishad to Click Flick Films for film shooting at Venna Lake and Mahabaleshwar market, with signature and seal blurred
A No-Objection Certificate issued to Click Flick Films by the Mahabaleshwar Giristhan Nagar Parishad, October 2026, for filming at Venna Lake and the Mahabaleshwar market. Signature and seal blurred.

Next step

Shooting in Mahabaleshwar or Panchgani?

Tell Saud the dates and the look. He'll come back with locations, permissions and a plan.