Wanted: a Dance Partner for SRK – Rajeev Masand’s Gossip Column

Shah Rukh Khan starts filming Happy New Year in September, but director Farah Khan and he haven’t found a leading lady yet. Shah Rukh Khan starts filming Happy New Year in September, but director Farah Khan and he haven’t found a leading lady yet. Apparently the duo considered everyone from Parineeti Chopra to Katrina Kaif for the part, but Shah Rukh eventually decided they needed a fresh face.

The role is that of a bar dancer from Bhandup, and Farah reportedly wants a girl who is pretty but not particularly glamorous, and one who can act and dance too. Tall order, eh? Turns out her assistants have been screen-testing hopeful candidates for over three months now, but they haven’t come across anyone that both Farah and Shah Rukh agree on.

It’s not just the heroine who is proving to be a tough find. According to sources, Farah still hasn’t found her fourth male lead. Boman Irani, Shah Rukh and Abhishek Bachchan will play three male protagonists in this musical comedy about four men, each cursed with two left feet, who form a team to participate in a world dance championship.

Reportedly, Dev Patel, Ayushmann Khurrana and Siddharth Malhotra were considered for the role. But rumours from Shah Rukh’s Red Chillies office suggest that Farah and SRK have zeroed in on Vivaan Shah, Naseeruddin Shah’s younger son. The 20-something kid made his screen debut two years ago, playing an aged Priyanka Chopra’s young admirer in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ill-fated Saat Khoon Maaf.

Happy New Year is expected to kick off with a roughly 40-day non-stop schedule at Dubai’s Atlantis Palm Resort & Hotel. Previously slated to go on the floors in June, the movie’s shoot was pushed to September when Shah Rukh injured his shoulder and had to undergo emergency surgery, but also because Atlantis wouldn’t open its doors to the unit during its busiest season. Apparently the filmmakers have now booked the entire (sprawling) resort for the duration of the shoot. Now all they need is an actress who can match steps with Shah Rukh Khan.

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Shadow of Hrithik’s Past

Also all set up but with no heroine attached is the Hrithik Roshan-starrer Shuddhi, which will go into production just months from now. Agneepath director Karan Malhotra has made no secret of the fact that he wants Kareena Kapoor to be his leading lady, but insiders are still speculating whether Hrithik and Kareena will bury their past and work together again after all these years.

This hasn’t stopped other actresses from pitching for the project. For one, Deepika Padukone’s agents have reportedly been talking to producer Karan Johar about casting her. The filmmakers, it is learnt, are waiting patiently for Hrithik to wrap Siddharth Anand’s Knight & Day remake Bang Bang, so they can involve him in the decision.

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Twice Rejected, Won’t Be Shy

Having now twice turned down films with one of Bollywood’s most respected female directors, this young A-lister has prompted industry insiders to wonder if there is, in fact, more than meets the eye.

With her first film, she wowed critics; with her second, she proved that she could woo the box-office too. Yet, this credible filmmaker couldn’t convince the country’s young superstar to sign on for her next film. The actor reportedly said he liked the idea she had in mind for the film, but insisted he would commit himself only after a full script was in place. When he went on to sign a bunch of films that would keep him busy for the next two years—without making room for her project—the director reportedly decided to move on, and signed another up-and-comer in the young heartthrob’s place. It’s common knowledge that she had approached the star for her previous movie too, a three-hero buddy film that he had turned down. This second rejection raises speculation that the actor might have personal reasons for his decision to stay away. Some are even hinting that the star has never been too fond of the filmmaker’s actor-director brother, whom she cast in both her previous films.

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9 Comments
  1. Baba 11 years ago

    a dance film ? i just hope it never gets made

  2. Bored 11 years ago

    They cant find a gal who can match dance steps with the likes of SRK, Boman and Abhishek?
    Seriously ???

    • mate 11 years ago

      “Now all they need is an actress who can match steps with Shah Rukh Khan.”
      “They cant find a gal who can match dance steps with the likes of SRK, Boman and Abhishek?
      Seriously ???”
      I request the moderators of this site to increase and adjust the font size by default, as many don’t know about increase font size option, who have some serious eye-sight problem. :O

  3. Ankur 11 years ago

    The male superstars are all as stale and as old as it gets but they want “fresh” face as female lead! Even newly debuted actresses aren’t suited for Mr. SRK? LOL!

    I wonder why he signed this film. Sounds trashy from the word go!

  4. ank_16n 11 years ago

    ” The role is that of a bar dancer from Bhandup, and
    Farah reportedly wants a girl who is pretty but not
    particularly glamorous, ”

    hahahaha……
    BAR DANCER FROM BHANDUP… 😆

  5. Bored 11 years ago

    How about the pole dancer from a shady London strip club who made it big in Bollywood?

  6. Suprabh 11 years ago

    Zoya- Ranbir?

    • Author
      sputnik 11 years ago

      Yes.

      ————

      Guys the article says “Boman Irani, Shah Rukh and Abhishek Bachchan will play three male protagonists in this musical comedy about four men, each cursed with two left feet, who form a team to participate in a world dance championship.”

      So they are all playing bad dancers.

  7. Author
    sputnik 10 years ago

    Kareena Kapoor Khan unsure about starring in ‘Shuddhi’

    Kareena Kapoor Khan today said that she was not sure if she would act in the movie ‘Shuddhi’, whenever it went on the floor.

    Shooting for the movie was scheduled to begin this year and supposed to hit movie halls in 2015.

    To be produced by Karan Johar, the movie which would star Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, has been repeatedly postponed, primarily due to actor Hrithik Roshan’s head injury.

    “I don’t know when it will happen. Since one and half years, it has got postponed. I haven’t met Karan Johar and Hrithik is busy doing a movie titled ‘Bang Bang’. Whenever the movie goes to the floors, I will decide whether to do it,” Kareena said.

    Last year, ‘Shuddhi’ director Karan Malhotra had rubbished rumours of Deepika Padukone replacing Kareena Kapoor Khan in the movie and confirmed that she is very much part of it.

    An year ago, director Karan Malhotra had told PTI, “Kareena is very much a part of the movie. It (rumours of Deepika Padukone acting in the movie) is not true. We have not approached anyone. It is a one hero and one heroine project”.

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