Within weeks of going on floors, the shoot of Mr Lele had to be called off after Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar contracted the Coronavirus in the first week of April. The subsequent junta curfew imposed in Maharashtra only delayed matters further. Now, it is learnt that director Shashank Khaitan resumed the shoot of the comedy with Kaushal and Kiara Advani on June 15. The shoot was greenlit by producer Karan Johar only after the cast and crew got the first dose of the vaccine.

Khaitan has planned a 10-day schedule at an Andheri bungalow. “While Vicky and Kiara reported to the set on Tuesday, Bhumi joined them on Friday. Shashank has lined up some indoor sequences for the next week, after which he will take the film across different locations in Mumbai. He has lined up a 40-day schedule,” reveals a trade source.

He had originally announced the project last year with Varun Dhawan. While the movie did not roll then for various reasons, he has tweaked the script to suit the new cast. The source adds, “Vicky apparently plays a conman who juggles his two love interests. The movie’s title has been changed and is being kept under wraps for now.”

Ashok Dubey, general secretary, Federation of Western India Cine Employees, confirms the development, adding, “Producers can resume shoots only after their crews are vaccinated.”