Coronavirus scare makes a Bollywood cameo; several movie shoots affected
The rising scare over the novel coronavirus outbreak seems to be making a cameo of sorts in Bollywood, affecting planned shoots of several major movies. Reportedly, the Rajasthan shoot of films like Karan Johar's Takht, Akshay Kumar's Prithviraj, and Kartik Aaryan-starrer Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 have been either stalled or shifted to newer locations. The coronavirus outbreak has so far claimed over 3,600 lives, globally.
According to various reports, Karan Johar's magnum opus Takht was set to go on floors with shoots scheduled in Jaipur and Jaisalmer. However, the increasing panic over coronavirus forced the makers to stall the shoot. Meanwhile, the filming of Akshay Kumar's first-period movie Prithviraj, which was scheduled to commence in Rajasthan, has also been canceled.
Further, the coronavirus scare has also affected Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani-starrer horror-comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Earlier planned to be shot in Rajasthan's Mandawa, the movie's shooting has now been shifted to Lucknow. It should be noted that a few days back, as many as 16 Italians touring Rajasthan and their Indian driver had tested positive for the virus.
In similar developments, many Bollywood stars are canceling multi-city tours to prevent the risk of coronavirus. Recently, Deepika Padukone called off her visit to the Paris Fashion Week in France, due to increased coronavirus cases in the European region. Meanwhile, rumors are rife that many filmmakers and producers are considering shifting the release dates of their upcoming movies, fearing a drop in business.
The coronavirus outbreak, that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year, has so far killed over 3,600 persons around the world, with over one lakh being affected. Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed cases in India now stands at 39, with five fresh cases reported from Kerala on Sunday. The symptoms of the disease include fever, dry cough, breathing issues, and fatigue.
