Shahid Kapoor refused to shoot Cocktail 2 outdoors in Delhi? Crew member recalls his 'useless' demand

Shahid Kapoor. Pic via Instagram

Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Rashmika Mandanna's Cocktail 2 received a mixed response at the box office after it released recently. While the Homi Adajania-directed film has been extensively shot in Italy, the team also shot some portions in Delhi-NCR. Now, line producer Sumit Tyagi has made revelations about the Delhi shoot, recalling how the cast and crew had to work amid the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) soaring beyond 500. He also recalled how Shahid Kapoor once refused to step outside because of the alarming air quality.

Shahid Kapoor refused to step out of his van in Delhi

While speaking on The Shivam Podcast, Sumit Tyagi described Shahid Kapoor as "manmauji" (temperamental). He added that the production team was informed that Shahid Kapoor was not willing to shoot in Delhi amid such severe pollution. Thus, the production had to arrange five to six air purifiers for the actor, despite the schedule being entirely outdoors. Tyagi recalled that he even questioned how indoor air purifiers would be useful for an outdoor shoot, which was taking place at Cyber City in Gurugram, but was informed that "this is just for satisfaction."

Sumit further shared, "This was one of those useless things that was bought at the last minute. We sent someone in 5 minutes and got these. This was for Shahid, so we can't call them useless. Because Shahid had said that I won't get out of the van. He would just take off the mask before the shot; otherwise, he had a mask on the entire time. We were shooting in Cyber City. How can an air purifier help there? It is all open."

Sumit also noted that Shahid's request, while seeking precautions given the hazardous pollution levels, was justified. However, he reiterated that arranging air purifiers for an outdoor shoot was nothing more than a symbolic gesture rather than a practical solution. According to Sumit, the arrangement was made to show that the production had made every possible effort to accommodate the actor's concerns, while ensuring that he did not feel that his requests had been overlooked.

Sumit Tyagi on Shahid Kapoor's personality

Sumit also spoke about Shahid Kapoor's personality, describing the actor as someone with a "temperamental" nature. He said, "I want to do this now, so I will do this. Now I want to leave so I will leave. Even if it has been decided that he has to stay. From my understanding, he is the kind of person who believes, ‘I won't think much about you, and you don't think much about me. Even if you are thinking, I won't think about you'."