Over the past few weeks, rumours have been rife that the shoot of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Arjun Ustara has halted, sparking speculation about the fate of the project. However, a bit of digging has revealed that the chatter is baseless. mid-day has learnt that work on the Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri-starrer is progressing as per schedule, with the shoot underway in Bandra, Mumbai.

“The cast and crew are filming daily. There is absolutely no question of the shoot being stalled,” says a source from the unit.

So, what exactly sparked rumours that the gangster film’s shoot had ground to a halt? The postponement of a special song perhaps, indicate insiders. It turns out a special dance number was to be shot in early April.

“The shoot was deferred as the dancers we wanted weren’t available, and the song’s look and vibe weren’t working out at that point. That shoot has been rescheduled,” adds the source.

Bhardwaj took Arjun Ustara, also starring Randeep Hooda, on floors in January 2025. Since then, the actioner has been constantly in production, barring a two-week gap that preceded the ongoing schedule. 

Another insider notes, “There was a two-week break before the latest schedule began in the last week of April. The song was supposed to be shot during that time, but had to be held up. That may have led to these rumours. But everything else is moving as planned. In June, we have a long schedule in Europe, starting with Georgia.”

The project is expected to be wrapped up by June-end.

Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj's eyes light up at the mention of Arjun Ustara, the period drama he is currently shooting. While he had initially planned the movie with the late Irrfan Khan, Shahid Kapoor has now stepped into the role, marking the actor-director’s fourth collaboration after Kaminey (2009), Haider (2014) and Rangoon (2017).

“Both of us are excited to come back together. The shooting has been terrific,” says Bhardwaj. The director is equally impressed by Triptii Dimri in their maiden collaboration. “Triptii is so lovely, and such a fine actor. This is the first time I’m working with Nana Patekar and I’ve been thinking, ‘Why did I not work with him before?’”

Bhardwaj is also the composer on his films. He notes a renewed interest in the value that music brings to a movie today, saying, “There was a time when a film became a hit with a hit song. Then no matter how hit the songs were, a film didn’t work if it wasn’t good. Now, again, a film will work if the songs are a hit. Tauba Tauba [Bad Newz , 2024] is cited as an example where the song and step worked, so the film worked. I don’t know if that’s true.”