Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif go north as cases go south

Salman Khan with Katrina Kaif. Pic/AFP

In January, mid-day reported that the Delhi schedule of Tiger 3 had been cancelled in the wake of the rising COVID-19 cases in the country (Tiger returns to his cage, Jan 7). Now, as the situation is improving, director Maneesh Sharma and producer Aditya Chopra have gone back to the drawing board to rework the schedule. It is learnt that Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will kick off the stint in the capital - which marks the final major schedule of the espionage thriller - by mid-February.

The director has chalked out a 15-day stint that will focus on the chase sequences in the film, as Khan's R&AW agent Avinash Singh Rathore aka Tiger takes on the bad guys. "Maneesh wants to film certain action scenes on the streets of Delhi. The superstars will also shoot at some historical locations in the city, including near the Red Fort. Adi is ensuring that the production team adheres to strict COVID safety norms during the schedule, as they have done over the past two years. Salman and Katrina are expected to fly out to the capital on February 12 or 13, in time to commence the shoot on February 14," reveals a source.

Khan will have to slip into his Tiger avatar well before he wings his way to north India. He will report to the set at Yash Raj Studios from February 5. The source adds, "He was busy with Bigg Boss 15 until last week. Now that the reality show has concluded, he will dive into the week-long schedule of the thriller where he will film dramatic confrontation scenes. Katrina won't be part of the proceedings."