Shooting at Pyramids has been both tough, rewarding: Faruk Kabir on filming 'Khuda Hafiz 2' in Egypt

Based on some of the true 'unpleasant happenings' around the world, the Vidyut Jammwal-starrer movie 'Khuda Haafiz' was released on OTT streaming giant Disney Plus Hotstar in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hinting at storyline of the sequel, director Faruk Kabir shared that the movie will finish the story for the unfinished Part 1 with a new plot.

"The film is both, a continuation of the relationship of the young husband and wife and the new plot that takes them through an Agni Pariksha of sorts," he said.

Opening about his decision to release 'Khuda Haafiz' on the OTT platform, Faruk shared, "At the time of Khuda Haafiz part 1, we were in the heart of the pandemic, I was lucky we wrapped filming just before the pandemic hit."

"Releasing on OTT in early 2020 was a new reality which I accepted with grace and gratitude since we were fortunate to get a release and not have to wait indefinitely (at that point the world was a very sacred place) theatres were a distant 'no go' for everyone," he said adding, "So God is Kind Khuda Haafiz 1 released on OTT and got the enormous exhibition and appreciation."

The 38-year-old director continued, "Having said that, nothing beats the magic of the big screen. Hopefully, KH 2 will release in theatres at a good time this year!"

The first installment of 'Khuda Haafiz' was shot in central Asian country Uzbekistan and its neighbouring areas. However, for the second part, the makers chose to shoot much of the schedule in Egypt.

Sharing his experience, and the idea of shifting to the new location, Faruk shared, "When u watch the film the Q will be answered, nonetheless, Egypt is one of the oldest civilisations in the world, rich in architecture and culture, a perfect visual expanse that I wanted in the climax of the film. Having shot portions at the Pyramids has been very tough and very rewarding."

'Khuda Haafiz Chapter II: Agni Pariksha' features Vidyut Jammwal and Shivaleeka Oberoi in the lead roles. The upcoming project is a sequel to 'Khuda Haafiz', which was released digitally last year. The first part revolved around Sameer Choudhary (Vidyut) and his mission to save his wife Nargis (Shivaleeka), who gets trapped in the flesh trade upon her arrival in the Middle East. (ANI)