Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 21, 2017)

When the team of Judwaa 2 — Varun Dhawan, Taapsee Pannu and Jacqueline Fernandez — took off on a Mumbai-bound flight from Kolkata on Tuesday, little did they know that their three-hour-long journey wouldn’t end in the comfort of their homes.

As torrential rains brought Mumbai to a standstill on September 19, it also resulted in the Mumbai airport closing its main runway. Fifty-six flights had to be diverted to other cities. Among the many affected, the Judwaa 2 team found their flight being diverted to Hyderabad. Pannu recounted how after much confusion, their aircraft landed there past midnight.

Pannu said, “The Hyderabad airport was completely packed as many planes were already waiting to be deboarded. So, we had to wait in the aircraft for two hours, for our turn.” It was only after a gruelling wait of several hours that the team stepped out of the airport and checked into a hotel.

The turn of events also threw their promotional plan off track. The actors’ interviews, that were lined up at Mehboob Studios, had to be cancelled. “We were trying to figure out how to return, but the production team insisted that we stay put in Hyderabad.”

Making the most of their unscheduled visit, the cast had an interaction with the local press. “We are making the best use of our time,” Pannu said