After running into trouble with the forest officials for violating agreement with the Kerala Forest Division, Mani Ratnam has finally begun the shooting schedule in Kochi, for his film 'Ravana', starring Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan in lead roles.

The multilingual film, for which Abhishek shed his weight, and got his hair trimmed to give the character a real feel, is being shot in the forests of Malayatoor - a prime spot for eco-tourism.

According to sources close to the film the forest officials had given Mani Ratnam's team to shoot for 20 days in the well preserved eco-tourism spot.

Mani Ratnam’s new venture was reportedly halted when the crew violated the norms specified by the Kerala Forest Department. The famous director who is currently shooting for the adaptation of epic ‘Ramayana’ in the jungles of Malayathur was stopped by the Forest Officials as the crew had constructed three temporary huts against the rules.