But the worst blow was delivered by Nature when It, in all its wisdom decided to rain down catastrophic weather that put an end to Dutt dreams of doing devilish derrindo in the stunning expanse of the Rohtang Pass.
It was a harrowing end to a spectacular schedule devoted to rough action scenes. On Tuesday the cast and crew of Rahul Dholakia's Lamhaa were to shoot some truly complicated action sequences at the breathtaking Rohtang Pass.
However Man proposes and then we all what God does. After driving incessantly through slush snow and rain the crew had to turn back.
On Tuesday producer Bunty Walia said, "We didn't shoot at Rohtang Pass. We've packed up in Manali. We'll return to Mumbai on 20 November and start shooting in Film City from 24 November. It was a very frustrating experience.
We drove through the most impossible roadway because this was the last day of the schedule and there was no way we could delay. Sanju had to get back. We had to encounter the most nightmarish weather. If we didn't turn back we faced the danger of a serious road accident."
However the crew would have still plodded on. But a landslide blocking the way to Rohtang Pass left the Lamhaa crew with no choice but to turn back.
And now the remaining action scenes will have to be shot in Kashmir when the crew returns in January after the elections. This turn of events would certainly please the J & K government.