The shoot of Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi was to be wrapped up by the summer, but the pandemic-induced lockdown thwarted filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's best laid plans. As a part of the grand set had to be pulled down before the monsoons, only relevant portions of the set remain standing at Film City today. Now, Bhansali is eager to return to the universe of the Kamathipura brothels of the '60s, and has had several meetings with his leading lady. Sources suggest that the duo is hoping to resume work in early October, even though the director is aware that shooting a period film amid the government-imposed restrictions will be a tough task.

A source reveals, "In the first post-pandemic schedule, they will film solo scenes of Alia Bhatt, and other sequences that require fewer people. Some cheat shots will have to be employed, which will be corrected later at the VFX stage. Being a perfectionist who doesn't want to compromise on the scale of the product, the filmmaker has decided to shoot the more elaborate scenes later. The set is currently being fixed and sanitised for an October shoot. However, Bhansali has yet to determine the final dates."

mid-day reached out to Bhansali's team, who did not respond till press time.