Arjun, John join the restart bandwagon

For nearly five months now, Bollywood – like the rest of the country – hasn’t been at work. But now, slowly, things seem to be moving ahead, with several top names getting back in front of the camera for various professional commitments. While Akshay Kumar has already started shooting for Bell Bottom in the UK, Ayushmann Khurrana has shot for three ad films in Chandigarh. The actor will start shooting for his next film, with filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor, from October onwards.

In the latest instance, Arjun Kapoor and John Abraham (in cameo) – along with Rakul Preet Singh – are all set to start shooting next week at Filmcity for Nikkhil Advani’s yet-untitled film. Makers had initially planned to wrap up the shoot in March-April itself but the lockdown played spoilsport. “The entire team including Arjun, John and Rakul are excited about restarting work after over four months, knowing fully well that everyone has to restart their lives at some point or the other. They have really missed being on sets for so long,” says an insider from the film production unit.

According to Advani, the “entire team, including all the actors, is looking forward” to being on the sets. “All the main cast members will be shooting for about 8-10 days. We are going to follow all the safety protocols very strictly. The entire cast-and-crew has already been briefed about it in detail. We all have to think of ways to restart our lives. I am happy that we are going back on the sets,” he says.

Among other biggies who have gotten back to work is Salman Khan, who has shot a few promos for a reality TV series that he hosts. Also, Aamir Khan is shooting for his next, Laal Singh Chaddha in Turkey. Besides, Amitabh Bachchan is apparently readying to start work on the next season of his game show. In October, filmmaker Aanand L Rai also restarts work on his next, Atrangi Re starring Akshay Kumar, Sara Ali Khan and Dhanush.