Director Shashank Khaitan had kicked off 2020 by announcing Mr Lele with frequent collaborator Varun Dhawan. After almost 14 months and some casting changes, the filmmaker had only begun shooting for the comedy when lead actors Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar tested Coronavirus positive, putting the film on pause mode.

The director, who has tested negative, says that alterations have been made to the story over the past year. “For starters, the title is no longer the same. I have made a lot of changes in the script too. Having spent the last year at home, I ended up spending a lot of time with the material. So it’s not the same film that I had [initially conceptualised],” says Khaitan, glad to tell a new story with Kaushal and Pednekar. “Vicky and I have done theatre together, while Bhumi and I are from the same school. So, it’s like friends coming together to create a new world.”

With his schedule being disrupted due to his leads’ illness and by the second lockdown, the director is unclear about when the unit will resume work. “[The new normal] is a tough environment to shoot in. You have to create a safe [space] for everybody on the set, and at the same time, focus on the creative elements.”