It hasn’t been an easy ride for Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif-starrer Tiger 3 thus far. After the actioner — mounted on a grand scale by producer Aditya Chopra — rolled in March, the shoot was disrupted a month later when the leading lady tested Coronavirus positive. The second setback came soon after as the Maharashtra government imposed a junta curfew in mid-April. At the time, director Maneesh Sharma was filming crucial portions at the SRPF Ground in Goregaon where an elaborate set of a Dubai market had been erected. Now, one-and-a-half months into the shoot suspension, Chopra has apparently ordered the dismantling of the set. 

It is heard that the producer-director duo were considering taking the course of action right after Cyclone Tauktae left the set-up partially damaged. Their resolve was further strengthened when the state government extended the lockdown earlier this week.

A source reveals, “There is no clarity on when shoots will resume. Even if the government green-lights them by mid-June, the studio is being cautious about the way forward. Considering Tiger 3 has a massive crew of about 300 people, Aditya wants the team to be vaccinated before they report to work. Maintaining the outdoor structure was turning out to be an expensive affair. They realised it will be easier on the pocket to erect a set whenever they are ready to resume work.”

In the third instalment that sees Emraan Hashmi join the cast, Khan’s undercover agent Avinash Singh Rathore will travel to Europe as part of his next mission. The source adds, “With Europe reopening its borders to fully vaccinated travellers, Aditya and Maneesh are studying the countries that can be part of Tiger’s journey. They will zero in on the locations post August.”