Mumbai, Aug 8 (IANS) Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey has opened up about the unpredictable weather conditions that have tested the cast and crew during the shoot of “Special Ops 2.”
In an interview with IANS, the director revealed that the team has had to constantly adapt to changing weather, making last-minute decisions to shuffle schedules and switch locations — all while racing against time to stay on track. Pandey also spoke about dealing with sudden rain and shifting schedules, saying that the team often relies on weather apps to plan the day’s shoot.
When asked how he handles things when the weather takes an unexpected turn during filming, Neeraj Pandey shared, “It’s a big punt, and sometimes we have to shuffle within a shuffle. So, naturally you take the help of AccuWeather apps and stuff like that. So, you know that today is not a great day to shoot outdoor. There is rain, possibility of rain and all. So, you plan an indoor shoot on that day.”
“So, that shuffling within the schedule is very much possible and that happens at times. Sometimes you also fall behind. Today it rained, for 3 hours we have lost to the rain. We couldn’t do it, so we have to catch up. So, how do we catch up? So, there is always that thriller within a thriller kind of a thing happening in these shoots, he added.
The ace filmmaker also opened up about the hurdles of shooting “Special Ops 2” in multiple countries. While the varied backdrops added a visually dynamic layer to the series, Pandey admitted that the ambitious scale made production more complex, demanding detailed coordination and planning.
Neeraj mentioned, “Actually, if you follow the story, then you will get to understand that because Dr. Bhargav, who is being kidnapped, is being taken from one place to another. So, organically, it was in the script in the same way. But, shooting at so many places, it’s a logistical nightmare.”
“So, we had a fantastic crew, which again, whether it was in Budapest or Georgia, our local line production team was very capable. And, in a way, we have to shoot everything 2-2.5 months in advance and plan that we are here on this date, we are shooting this, then we are in Budapest for 3 days, then we will take a flight from here, we will go to Batumi, we will prep for 4 days in Batumi, then we will shoot for 2 days. So, in this way, you have to do everything like a clockwork to achieve the whole thing. Otherwise, you will not be able to… If you miss one day of shoot, then everything goes for a toss.”
The second season of the Indian espionage thriller series “Special Ops 2” features a stellar ensemble cast including Kay Kay Menon, Vinay Pathak, Karan Tacker, Gautami Kapoor, Kali Prasad Mukherjee, Parmeet Sethi, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Arif Zakaria, and Saiyami Kher. The show was released on July 18, 2025, on JioHotstar.
–IANS
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