Varun Dhawan’s Mr. Lele Director Shashank Khaitan: “Stalling Of Our Film Was A Blessing In Disguise”

Shashank Khaitan and Varun Dhawan gave a blockbuster hit when they collaborated for Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and then for Badrinath Ki Dulhania. So fans were super geared up when the duo announced yet another collaboration for Mr. Lele. But the film was shelved just days before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now opening up about when went wrong, Shashank Khaitan feels that in fact the shelving of the film came as a blessing in disguise. Speaking about the same, the filmmaker revealed that they planned to go on floors for the Varun Dhawan starrer by the 15th of March. But had that happened, they would have incurred huge losses owing to the current scenario.

Speaking about the same to Mid-Day, Shashank Khatian said, “As per our original plan, we were supposed to start filming on March 13. The (suspension of shoots) was announced on March 15. So, the stalling of our film was a blessing in disguise; otherwise, we would have ended up spending a lot more on the pre-production. “We were not able to form a flow for the shoot. It was a small film that was to be based in Mumbai, but things were not falling in place. I kept feeling that something is not right. Since Karan [Johar, producer], Varun Dhawan and I collectively felt it, we decided to hold off the project for the time being.”

For those of you unversed, Mr. Lele starring Varun Dhawan was announced as a ‘maha entertainer’ under the Dharma Productions banner of Karan Johar. However, in early March, a statement was issued by Shashank Khaitan that the film has been shelved.

Mr. Lele is the second collaboration between Varun Dhawan and Shashank Khaitan that did not take off. The duo had announced a film titled Rannbhoomi, a period war drama in 2018 that too was eventually stalled.

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