No On-Screen Pairing Just Yet

There is word that the makers of Ranveer Singh’s new film 83, which will recount the story of India’s glorious World Cup win, and in which the actor plays skipper Kapil Dev, have approached his real life missus Deepika Padukone to play the role of Kapil Paaji’s missus Romi Bhatia.

By all accounts, it’s not an especially big role, but there is a key scene in which Romi leaves the stadium before the final has ended because she can’t bear to see India take a beating from the West Indies. It is after she leaves that she learns the tide has turned, and decides to return so she can watch the rest of the match, but she isn’t allowed to re-enter as she has already given away her pass. As a result, she misses watching India’s historic win that day.

The filmmakers think Deepika would be great for the role. No word yet from Ranveer or DP whether she’s going to do it. But I met Ranveer earlier this week and asked him (although not in context to this film) if the couple was going to be especially selective about the work they do together, given that real-life couples seldom tend to bring the same sparks on screen.

Ranveer replied that they were going to be selective about films they make together, but not necessarily for the reason I’d cited. “We’re aware of the value of our pairing— all films we’ve done together have been blockbusters—so we don’t want to disappoint anyone who enjoys seeing us on screen together by doing something that’s less special,” he explained. He also made it a point to add that he knows there are “great scripts out there” which will find their way to the couple, and that they’re looking forward to it. But no working together just for the sake of it, he pointedly declared.

Deepika next begins shooting Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak, based on the true story of acid- attack survivor Lakshmi Agarwal. There is some talk that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has promised her the female lead in his next film, but unlike Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat, the next one is not likely to star Ranveer. The buzz is that Bhansali wants to make a two-hero film with Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. In fact, Salman confirmed recently that he was in talks with Bhansali for a project. The reclusive filmmaker was also spotted at the actor’s birthday bash in Karjat, re-igniting speculation that the project was very much on the cards.

Let Bygones Be Bygones

It looks like the ice has fully and finally melted between Karan Johar and Ajay Devgn after years of a tenuous relationship. On Monday night, Karan invited the cast and crew of Simmba to his Khar residence to celebrate the success of the film, and the paps were especially overjoyed to spot Ajay and Kajol among the guests. Only a few weeks ago Ajay had appeared on Koffee with Karan with his wife, which was the first sign that the filmmaker and the movie star may have called a truce. Ajay made a smashing appearance in Simmba, presumably for director Rohit Shetty who’s one of his oldest friends, but it was not lost on the industry that Karan was one of the co-producers of the film. But it’s the happy photographs that have come out of the Monday bash that settles matters for once. It’s clear that Karan and Ajay have let bygones be bygones.

Sticky Situation

A top male star who took an important stand in the wake of MeToo allegations not long ago could be in the tricky situation of having to distance himself from a close friend and frequent collaborator if hushed whispers about this filmwaala go public and are proven true.

It’s all that anyone in Bollywood is talking about these days.

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Rajeev Masand

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