After being confined to his house for months on end due to the pandemic, Meezaan Jafri was ecstatic when director Priyadarshan informed him that the unit would resume Hungama 2 shoot soon. Last month, the actor headed to Manali with co-stars Shilpa Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Praneetha Suresh to complete the final schedule of the comedy. If shooting for his second film was a cakewalk, he says the credit lies with Shetty and the director. "I was ecstatic to be finally able to get out of my house. I'd never been to Manali before. The weather was beautiful. I felt people are now appreciating the little joys in our life. Every shot was making us jubilant. The film has shaped up insane. It's visually striking. I hope people watch this in theatres."

A large part of his energy on set came from Shetty, his co-star. "There is such a positive vibe about her. She lightens up the set. One should learn how to have a ball of a time on their own. Even though she is such a senior actor, she doesn't let you feel that barrier. Sometimes experienced people evoke that hesitation but on this set I opened up like never before. Priyan sir (Director) treats me like I am his own son and guides me for the future. He teaches me these little nuances that improve my craft. He is the kind of filmmaker who will have your back and bring out the best in you."

With his first film Malaal (2019) failing to catapult him into overnight stardom, Meezaan is choosing his projects wisely, with greater gumption. "Malaal was presented by Sanjay Leela Bhansali; my second film is with Priyadarshan. I will here on, have to maintain a certain standard of choices. I have to take it a notch higher hereon. There are some great offers in the pipeline. I am not some Shah Rukh or Salman Khan who has the luxury of choosing films. I am waiting for good projects and making the best of what's coming my way. I don't know what the audience expects of me so I want to do all of it and showcase my range. Filmmaking is my passion and I don't want to limit myself within set genres."

He hints that the announcement of an actioner is in the vicinity. Buzz also suggests that the actor has been roped in to headline Sooraj Barjatya's son Avnish's directorial debut, a destination wedding project. Meezaan chooses to be tight-lipped about it, only offering, "I will let producers make their announcements. Things will take their course in due time. COVID has set people back on timelines."