Filmmaker Anees Bazmee is raring to get back on set and complete his long-pending film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. The unit had just got back to the groove this year, when restrictions were lifted after the first wave. But, the second wave of Coronavirus wreaked havoc, yet again.

“I have spoken to my line producers and producer, Murad Khetani. We will meet in a couple of days and decide how we’re going to start work. Our efforts are on for that,” he tells us.

Bazmee adds that most of the film, starring Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani and Tabu, is complete, and just one small schedule in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) and Mumbai (Maharashtra) is left. “That’s what we are planning, which one to shoot first. If we have to do it in Mumbai, we will need to book a stage accordingly,” says the 58-year-old, known for directing hits films such as Welcome (2007) and Ready (2011).

With things gradually getting back on track, Bazmee is extremely ecstatic that shoots are resuming in Mumbai, especially for the sake of daily wagers.

“We also pray for the daily wage workers... their livelihood will begin again and that’s very important. This pandemic broke a lot of people — physically and mentally. The lives of these poor people has become tougher. Those who can afford to not work, their struggles are different. Par gareeb logon ki struggle bahut badi hai,” says the filmmaker.

He goes on to share that for artistic people like him, this profession is not just a source of income. “The tea we drink on a set is entirely different from the best cup of tea we prepare in our office or at home. Uski baat hi kuch aur hoti hai. We are missing work a lot, and dying to start,” muses the writer-director.