The shooting of Mani Ratnam’s much awaited film Ravan, starring Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan , has run into problems once again with the forest authorities in Maharashtra slapping cases against 14 people from the crew and the village.

The state forest authorities have slapped cases against the crew members charging them of trespassing forest property.

“Cases have been registered against 14 persons under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and the Indian Forest Act,1927,” said Deputy Conservator of Forests Subhash Shelke.

“These persons have been charged with illegally entering forest property and undertaking land leveling work to facilitate the film’s shoot,” Shelke said.

The action was taken after forest officials, on a ‘routine beat inspection’ last week near Malshej Ghat area, bordering Thane and Pune districts, noticed the levelling of the land without permission from the department, he said.

“We have impounded vehicles, including a JCB and tractors used by these people,” Shelke said, adding that after the cases were filed, the film crew applied for permission for the shoot and even deposited Rs 2.5 lakh as deposit for the same.

“As per our information, the actual shooting is supposed to begin from August 27 and is expected to go on for a fortnight in the first phase,” the officer said.

The forest department, Ottur range in Pune rural, had registered complaint against villagers for illegally erecting two sheds, and dumping materials used for erecting sets on forest land without obtaining permission.

However, director Mani Ratnam has not been booked in the case as he cannot be held liable for the acts done by the villagers as the local coordinator of the film did not obtain permission on time to use the forest land for shooting, said sub-divisional forest officer Sadashiv Raut on Friday.

Ravana which stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead also made headlines last month when an elephant near Athirapally waterfalls in Kerala got wild and killed its owner and terrorized the star couple by blocking the main road.