SCOOPS: Kriti Sanon awaits Akshay Kumar’s reaction to 'Yeh Khabar Chhapwado Akhbar Mein', Swara Bhasker turns producer

Kriti Sanon recently shot for the recreated version of the ’90s song Yeh Khabar Chhapwado Akhbar Mein from Aflatoon (1997), alongside Kartik Aaryan. While the track features in her upcoming film, Luka Chuppi, the original number was picturised on Akshay Kumar and Urmila Matondkar.  

The Bareilly Ki Barfi actress, who is a ’90s kid, is now eagerly awaiting the Khiladi’s feedback to the new version. Says Kriti, “Yeh Khabar Chapwado is my favourite song from Aflatoon. I never thought that I would be dancing to it on the big screen. I was excited when I got to know that we were recreating the song for this film and had a blast shooting for it. What’s also amazing is that I’m in the midst of doing another film with Akshay sir, Housefull 4. I can’t wait to see his reaction to the song when he watches it.”

Govinda’s nephew and his filmmaker brother Kirti Kumar Ahuja’s son Janmendra Kumar Ahuja aka Dumpy passed away early yesterday morning. We hear he suffered a heart attack around 6 am at his Yari Road (Andheri) home and was rushed to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. “Doctors tried to save him, but he succumbed to the cardiac arrest,” said a source close to the family.  

He was 34 and is survived by his wife and a daughter. Our informer, who is a close confidante of the Ahujas revealed that Janmendra led an unhealthy lifestyle and also suffered from a liver problem.  

He had directed one film Jahan Jaaeyega Hamen Paaeyega (2007) with his uncle Govinda and cousins; Krushna Abhishek and Vinay Anand. However, the film didn’t work and after that, he apparently didn’t attempt any other project.  

When contacted, Vinay said, “The entire family is shocked by his sudden and untimely demise. He was so young and his daughter is not even a year old. Kirtiji is such a gracious, level-headed and sentimental person, he never spoke ill about anyone. This is the worst thing that could happen to him. He is in deep shock.”  

Janmendra’s last rites were performed at the Vile Parle crematorium. Our condolences to the Ahuja family.

While it’s often said that there are no permanent friends or foes in Bollywood, it looks like it will be a long time before issues between Bhushan Kumar and Akshay Kumar ease out. It all started last year, after the Pad Man actor opted out of Mogul, the biopic on the late Gulshan Kumar, produced by his son, music baron and film producer.  

So when Bhushan reportedly decided to release Satyameva Jayate, the John Abraham and Manoj Bajpayee actioner that he produced along with Nikkhil Advani on August 15 last year, industry sources attributed it to an ego clash as Akshay’s Gold  had first been announced as the Independence Day release. The producer and the superstar will be vying for the box office pie not once, but twice in 2019. First up, Mission Mangal, which Akki is also producing along with R Balki, will fight for screens with Bhushan and Nikkhil’s Batla House, also starring John, this Independence Day weekend. That’s not all, they will have an encore in less than a month. Good News, which, too, Akki is producing with Karan Johar, is scheduled to open in cinemas on September 6, the same date on which Bhushan’s next production helmed by Anurag Basu also releases.  

With Mogul not making visible progress after director Subhash Kapoor opted out in the wake of the #MeToo Movement and Aamir Khan reportedly chosing to focus on his next big project, it seems unlikely that the music baron and the superstar will iron out differences in the near future.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mere Pyaare Prime Minister, which addresses the issue of open defecation and seeks to spread the message of cleanliness, seems to be heading towards resolving its legal wrangle. Writer Manoj Mairta had filed a case against the Mirziya director, alleging that he was not being due credit for Mere Pyaare Prime Minister, as promised to him by the filmmaker in their agreement of April 2015. On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court appointed an Arbitrator to hear the case and resolve it before the movie’s release on March 8.  

A source who was present during the hearing, said, “The Arbitrator is likely to hear the case in next week, following which he will decide whether Manoj should get first credit or second as Rakeysh is said to be giving him.”

Swara Bhasker, who has acted in some out-of-the-box projects as part of her repertoire, often hears interesting stories from scriptwriters and directors. This has prompted the Veere Di Wedding actress to set up her production house, Kahaaniwaaley along with her brother, Ishan Bhasker. Swara says, “This idea has been in the works since the last one-and-a-half years. Our aim is to support good scripts and filmmakers who have fresh and powerful stories, but don’t get the right platform to showcase them.”