Filmmaker Anees Bazmee is raring to go back on set, and complete his long-impending film Bhool Bhulaiya 2. The unit had barely got back into the groove this year, after restrictions were lifted post the first wave. But, the second wave of Covid-19 crisis wreaked havoc, yet again.
“I have spoken to my line producers and producer Murad Khetani. We will meet in a couple of days and then decide how we are going to start work. Our efforts are on for that,” he tells us.
Bazmee adds that most of the film, starring Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani, is complete, and just one small schedule in Lucknow and Mumbai is left.
“That’s what we are planning, which one to shoot first. If we have to do it in Mumbai, we will need to book a stage accordingly. The film would have released by now, but almost two years have gone into the pandemic… that’s where we faced problems,” says the 58-year-old, known for directing hits films Ready (2011) and Welcome (2007).
with things gradually getting back on track, Bazmee is extremely ecstatic with the resumption of shoots in Mumbai, especially for the sake of daily wagers on a set.
“We also pray for the daily wage workers… their livelihood will begin again and that’s very important. This pandemic broke a lot of people — physically and mentally. The lives of these poor people has become tougher. Those who can afford to not work, their struggles are also different. Par gareeb logon ki struggle bauhaut badi hai,” says the filmmaker.
He goes on to share that for artistic people like him, this profession is not just for earning a living. “The tea we drink on a set is entirely different from the best cup of tea we prepare in our office or home. Uski baat hi kuchh aur hoti hai. We are missing work a lot, and dying to start,” he muses.
