On November 12, Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, Neetu Singh and Prajakta Koli flew off to Chandigarh to kick off their dramedy, the Raj Mehta-directed JugJugg Jeeyo. Three days later, they started shooting. Things were going smoothly when, on December 4, Raj, along with Varun and Neetu, tested positive for Coronavirus bringing the shoot to a halt.

“All three are showing only mild symptoms and are currently isolated in Chandigarh. Anil and Kiara’s reports are negative; he returned to Mumbai last evening, while she flies back today,” said a source, assuring that they will follow all safety protocols as suggested by the government.

It was a 40-day long marathon schedule and they were to shoot till December 24. But given this development, they will have to take a break of 10-14 days now. “Varun, Neetu and Raj will take a repeat test and once everyone tests negative and recovers, the shoot will resume, hopefully, by mid-December,” the source informed. The team had filmed a wedding sequence a couple of days ago with some crowd and believe that’s how the trio contracted the virus.

JugJugg Jeeyo is Raj Mehta’s second directorial after the 2019 hit Good Newwz. It revolves around two married couples, Varun and Kiara and Varun’s parents Anil and Neetu. The film marks Neetu’s comeback, eight years after Besharam, which had featured her alongside her late husband, Rishi Kapoor and son Ranbir.

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The shoot of Jug Jugg Jeeyo screeched to a halt on Friday after lead actor Varun Dhawan, Neetu Kapoor and director Raj Mehta tested COVID-19 positive. The entire unit stationed in Chandigarh had to undergo screening on Thursday morning after a crew member developed symptoms.

A source from the unit tells mid-day, "The hotel was immediately disinfected, and Varun, Raj and Neetu ji were put in isolation in their respective rooms. Their symptoms are mild so far, and are being monitored by doctors."

Anil Kapoor and Kiara Advani, who also feature in the relationship dramedy, tested negative yesterday. However, they will be required to undergo another screening in a few days. It is heard that the actors will head back to Mumbai after they complete the necessary quarantine in the north Indian city.

Meanwhile, Maniesh Paul, who was part of the unit till earlier this week and returned to Mumbai two days ago, has developed symptoms. "The actor has fever and is experiencing loss of smell. He will practice home-quarantine after running a test," says a source. While the makers had initially planned a start-to-finish schedule in Chandigarh, the shoot has been stalled for three weeks due to the recent development.