Akshay Kumar reveals how 'BellBottom' was filmed in Scotland amid COVID-19 pandemic

Akshay Kumar recently wrapped up filming his upcoming spy movie, BellBottom. It was the first major project to resume shooting amid coronavirus pandemic. Now the actor shared his experience of working in the new environment with safety protocols in action.

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How Akshay Kumar shot BellBottom in Scotland amid COVID-19 pandemic

In a recent interview with Deadline, Akshay Kumar opened up about the guidelines that were followed while filming BellBottom. He said that being Bollywood’s first film to shoot at an international location after the nationwide lockdown, they wanted to be sure about the safety of everyone. Hence an “extensive and meticulous” safety measures plan was laid out by the production house, Pooja Entertainment, hoping to accomplish a smooth and safe shoot.

The actor mentioned that besides medical-grade masks and face shields, the production house also made it mandatory for the cast and crew to wear wristwatches that constantly monitored their oxygen levels, blood pressure, stress levels, body temperature and plus via a centralised dashboard. He stated that everyone from the team was instructed to live within the premises in bubbles, to minimise interaction with the outside world. He asserted that chefs were also appointed for the team to avoid ordering outside food.

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Akshay Kumar said that there was an on-set doctor who was looking into the vitals of all the crew members on a daily basis. He mentioned that the entire team would take a mandatory COVID-19 test every 15 days. The actor noted that there was a sanitisation tunnel installed for the team to be used before starting the day’s work and at the end of each day, the set was “rigorously” disinfected.

Speaking about BellBottom shooting schedule and how it got affected due to coronavirus, the Boss star asserted that their original plan was to shoot in the United Kingdom, but Scotland got finalized as it matched all of their requirements in terms of locations, aesthetic that they were looking for and a more controlled environment to work in during the pandemic. He mentioned that the Scottish government and the authorities were a “big help” for them, guiding and supporting them on each step, ensuring a smooth sailing of the schedule. The actor stated that planning a film’s production by itself is a “Herculean” task, and adding the safety and security of a 225-member crew was an even bigger task. Praising the production team, he noted that they did a stellar job.

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Directed by Ranjit M Tewari, BellBottom also stars Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutt and Huma Qureshi in key roles. The story is written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Shaikh. It is bankrolled by Jackky Bhagnani’s Pooja Entertainment and Emmy Entertainment. BellBottom is scheduled to release in theatres on April 2, 2021.