Bollywood: Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, other stars get back to work amid COVID-19

Bollywood film shoots, which came to a grinding halt after the COVID-19 outbreak in India and beyond, are slowly limping back to normalcy as actors return to the sets with great caution. The new normal included limited crew and wearing of protective gear along with regular temperature checks. Here’s a look at the projects that are back on track when it comes to filming...

Katrina Kaif: The actress took to Instagram to share a Polaroid picture of herself from a set. The picture sees her seated in a black T-shirt along with a yellow coloured shorts. Two PPE-clad people from her team are also seen standing behind her in the picture. Without revealing much about her project, Kaif chose to only put a smiley and an alien emoji in the caption. The 37-year-old actor will next be seen in ‘Phone Booth,’ with Ishaan Khatter and Siddhant Chaturvedi.

Salman Khan: Showing off his grand entry on the sets of ‘Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai,’, actor Salman Khan recently shared a picture from the shooting of the upcoming film as he returns to work after over six months. The 54-year-old star posted an intriguing shot from the set of his much-anticipated flick on Instagram and announced that he has resumed shooting. In the photograph, Khan is seen sporting a black denim jacket and matching denim pants. The actor is seen making his signature entry on a highway, which is filled with smoke. The ‘Sultan’ actor captioned the post: “Back to shoot after 6 1/2 months ... feels good #Radhe.”

Akshay Kumar: The actor, also known as a hit machine of Bollywood owing to his prolific pace of work, was the first few actors in India to return to work. As early as July, the self-made actor resumed shooting with a limited crew for a string of advertisements in Mumbai, before heading for an extensive foreign location shoot in Glasgow and London for his upcoming spy thriller ‘Bell Bottom’. The film, directed by Ranjit M Tewari, also features Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutt and Huma Qureshi. The teaser was out today with the lead hero tweeting that they had a fruitful filming schedule despite the outbreak of COVID-19 globally. He plans to be begin work for another project this month as he gears up for the filming of director Aanand L Rai’s ‘Atrangi Re’. The actor also shot for a COVID-19 awareness advertisement earlier this summer.

Kareena Kapoor Khan: The award-winning actress, who announced her second pregnancy recently, travelled to New Delhi to shoot for ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ with Aamir Khan. According to reports, Kapoor Khan has a few portions left to shoot and wants to wrap up during this leg of filming. The movie, which is inspired by Hollywood hit ‘Forrest Gump’, is likely to release in 2021.

Kangana Ranaut: While she spent the last few months spewing venom against Bollywood power-brokers, one of India’s most outspoken actresses claimed that she felt most at home on a film set. Posting pictures from the set of her ambitious biopic ‘Thalaivi’, she tweeted: “Good Morning friends, these are some stills from yesterday’s early morning scene discussion with my absolutely talented and most affectionate director A L Vijay ji. There are many amazing places in this world, but the most soothing and comforting to me is a film set #Thalavi.”

Amitabh Bachchan: After recovering from COVID-19, Amitabh Bachchan has swung back to shooting with the game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. He shared photos from the sets of the show where the technicians and the crew are seen wearing protective suits and face masks. “It’s back to work … in a sea of blue PPE,” posted Bachchan.

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor: The pair plans to pull of double shifts this month to complete the remaining stretch of their fantasy adventure ‘Brahmastra’. They have already begun dubbing for it at a studio in Bandra, Mumbai. The film, directed by Ayan Mukerji, has hit several roadblocks including an outbreak of the pandemic that led to the halting of the filming. A 26-day schedule still remains to be captured.

R Madhavan: The actor is currently in the UAE to film his new thriller web series ‘7th Sense’. The actor told Gulf News that he is overwhelmed with gratitude over returning to work and being on a set. “The fact that I will be able to smell the make-up and I am dying to hear the word ‘pack-up’ at the end of every day and hopefully we are able to finish the shoot in these very trying times,” said Madhavan after a press conference in Dubai last month. He claimed he missed the hustle-bustle of working on a set, but has learnt that everyone needs to take a breather before hurtling towards life in a breakneck speed.

Paresh Rawal and Shilpa Shetty: The cast of director Priyadarshan’s comedy ‘Hungama 2’ starring Paresh Rawal, Shilpa Shetty and Mezaan’ are in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, right now. A visibly excited Shetty took to Instagram to update her fans about her latest film shoot. “COVID test done. Mask done. And now we are off. Time for some hungama,” wrote Shetty on Instagram. ‘Hungama 2’ is the sequel to the 2003 blockbuster.

Preity Zinta: The actress took to her social media account to update her fans that she has resumed shooting, but did not go into details. She shared a string of boomerang videos on Instagram stories chronicling her getting ready with make-up artists around her and her hair being styled. “Back on a show - post Covid tests, masks and hand sanitisers,” she said in a video.

Meet Bros: Indian music duo Harmeet Singh and Manmeet Singh, popularly known as ‘Meet Bros’, were in Dubai for a two-day shoot for their new music video. The ‘Babydoll’ hitmakers filmed in popular spots such as La Mer and Meydan Bridge in Nad Al Sheba. The song is titled ‘Butterfly Wale’ and is sung by Meet Bros and Deepti Sadhwani. “This is our first music video which will be shot in Dubai. Yesterday [September 29], we shot at Sheikh Zayed Road and Meydan Bridge and we will film in La Mer too,” said Manmeet in an interview with Gulf News. The duo, who have staged concerts in the UAE, hope to capture Dubai’s skyline in all its splendour.