'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' director Anees Bazmee holds off shoot amid lockdown speculations

Anees Bazmee's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 had to take a pause from shooting in the third week of March after the film's lead actor Kartik Aaryan tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Now that Kartik has recovered and has bounced back to work, another obstacle has in the way and has halted the shoot of the film. As there have been speculations about the government imposing a 15-day complete lockdown to break the chain of active cases in the country, Anees Bazmee has decided to wait for a while to resume shooting even though he has the dates of the actors.

Anees Bazmee holds off Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 shoot

In an interview with Mid-day, the director explained that he is waiting to plan anything regarding his shoots as there are rumours and speculations that Mumbai will be going under complete lockdown for 15 days. Talking about his actors' he said that all of them have been cooperative. Talking about Kartik, Anees said that he is very kind and has told the makers that he is ready whenever the team decided to shoot.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 shooting location

According to Mid-day, a set was built in Powai, Mumbai when the team resumed filming in early March. While the set was dismantled after Kartik came down with the virus, Anees share that they will have to build the set all over again and if the government decides on a lockdown once the set is made, it will cause a huge dent in the pocket of the producers and thus they are holding off until they get any official confirmation from the government. Anees also shared that once the Mumbai shoot is wrapped up, they will be moving to Lucknow for their final schedule. Anees also revealed that they have to shoot at a Haveli (big mansion) that they could not finish last March due to the pandemic and they have to go back for a 10-day stint.

Sharing his experience while shooting in this new normal, Anees admitted that it has not been easy as even though they have been cautious and have taken safety precautions, people have tested positive and things are beyond their control after a point. He added has shooting has gotten more difficult now and the budgets have also surged by 20-25%.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 cast

Besides Kartik, Kiara Advani and Tabu have been roped in to play the female leads in the movie. Other than them, the film will also feature Rajpal Yadav, Karamveer Choudhary among others in pivotal roles. The movie is a sequel to the 2007 blockbuster horror comedy film Bhool Bhulaiyaa that starred Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav alongside an ensemble cast. The movie is set to release on November 19, 2021.

(Promo Image Courtesy: Anees Bazmee Instagram)