Abhishek Banerjee: No longer about finishing film; we have to re-shoot it

Kartik Aaryan with Janhvi Kapoor

In these trying times, director Amar Kaushik managed to shoot Bhediya, starring Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon, without any hiccups. Abhishek Banerjee, who plays a supporting role in the horror-comedy, wonders whether the team would have been able to pull off this feat in any state other than Arunachal Pradesh. "The state has not seen a drastic surge in COVID-19 cases. It's one of the safest places [in the country] probably because of the way people have lent their lives to nature and have [encouraged] forestation. If the film was not shot in Arunachal Pradesh, I don't know how safe we would have felt," says the Paatal Lok actor, who is in Goa after having wrapped up the film.

Abhishek Banerjee

Besides his upcoming projects, Banerjee will have to begin work anew on Dostana 2, which became a bone of contention between Karan Johar and Kartik Aaryan. Recently, the producer announced that the leading man was dropped from the comedy, amid rumours of his "unprofessional behaviour" and "creative differences". Banerjee, who has a pivotal role in the Janhvi Kapoor and Laksh Lalwani-starrer, says, "I had shot for about 15 days. I had no clue about [Aaryan's exit], and got to know only after I read the reports. I don't know when we'll begin shooting because now, it's no longer about finishing the film; it's about re-shooting it [from scratch]. I am guessing the film won't roll anytime soon. [The production house] has informed all the actors involved that it will kick off the project when the time is right."